Migrants fear impact of Brexit

MIGRANTS who now call Fife their home say they fear being treated as second class citizens when the UK severs ties with the European Union.

Members of Fife Migrants Forum told the Scottish affairs committee at Westminster they were concerned the Brexit vote had severely affected their ability to plan for the future and would also affect the likelihood of being able to stay in the country.

The committee visited Kirkcaldy as part of its inquiry into how post-Brexit immigration policy should address the needs of current migrants, the agricultural sector and rural communities.

Maciej Dokurno, chairman of Fife Migrants Forum, settled in Scotland from Poland in 2003 and now lives in Leven with his wife and son.

He said: “Scotland is my home. My nine-year-old son was born in Kirkcaldy, lives here in Fife, speaks the local language as his first language and still speaks Polish as his heritage language.

“But whenever we have conversations about Brexit, that makes my son quite worried that people may have to go back to where they came.”

Mr Dokurno added: “The whole discussion in Scotland has been very positive, without scapegoating migrants and without the negativity we’ve seen down south.”

But he fears post-Brexit changes will have a huge impact.

“It’s been fantastic to feel equal with everybody else but now I’m worried that I will feel like a second category citizen,” he said.