The government is doing everything in its power to make and maintain the UK’s hostile environment, stripping people of their rights, dignity and identity.

But the government’s attitude towards migrants is nothing new. For decades, our neoliberal capitalist state has intentionally treated migrant populations as economic inputs, tightened border controls to create a precarious workforce always under threat of deportation, and exploit the racial, ethnic, and gendered differences between individuals in our society for increased financial gain.

More recently, the attack has extended to the lawyers that are doing their jobs to process migrants’ claims through the broken system. These professionals have been branded ‘activist lawyers’ by The Home Office in a move that undermines our democratic legal system and human rights.

On top of this, right-wing mainstream media is driving deeply damaging narratives around migration. Far too often, the term 'illegal' is used as a precursor to the word migrant. This is dehumanising, inaccurate and directly fuels the rise of racism. Meanwhile, other framings reinforce the neoliberal rhetoric that migrants can be described or treated solely on the economic benefits that they bring, painting them as a resource to be exploited.

No one is illegal. We urgently need to reverse and replace these dangerous narratives, and push back against this government's immoral and unconscionable hostile environment.