Government asked to rethink ‘cruel’ bill
AN NHS worker who fled Iran to Glasgow for her safety has urged the UK Government to rethink its Nationality and Borders Bill which critics claim is “cruel”.
The bill is up for discussion this week. If approved asylum seekers who do not come directly to the UK and present themselves to the authorities “immediately” could face deportation and criminalisation.
Marzieh Momeni arrived in Glasgow five years ago after a treacherous journey from Iran. She arrived as an asylum seeker on the back of a lorry which she says she still has dreams about.
The mother-of-two fled because the political situation there changed abruptly. She fears the bill may put people who were in her situation off of fleeing to safety.
She said: “The position that the Government wants to make will put our lives in danger because we came here to be safe.
“I lived in Iran and I was working as a nurse and a midwife.
“I had a good life but unfortunately I had to leave my country and far from my family because of a political problem I had.
Marzieh believes that the UK Government’s plans are inhumane. She added: “It’s unfair and it’s not humane. It’s racist.
“We are human. We don’t want to leave our country if we don’t have a problem.
“It’s not fair that they are going to look at us like this. They have to put themselves in our situation. Only a person whose life was in danger, who lived in fear, would leave their home country and family in that way.
“I had a very good life back home and my children were surrounded by their cousins and relatives, I wouldn’t have made this choice if the situation in Iran was different.”
Charity IMIX warns that many who have come to the UK travelled through “unconventional routes” to safety and if the Government’s plans are approved, many people including some now working in the NHS would not be able to come.
Marzieh now works as a phlebotomist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after receiving refugee status and enjoys her life in Glasgow. Marzieh added: “The first place I went was the police station. They were very friendly and so good and kind. Glasgow is a good city, I like it. The only thing that is a problem is the weather. But everyone has a problem with that as well!”
A spokesperson for the UK Home Office said: “The UK Government
will always stand by those fleeing persecution or oppression in their hour of need. As part of our New Plan for Immigration, we are establishing safe and legal routes to enable the most vulnerable people to start a new life in safety in the UK. People should not make life-threatening journeys to the UK and should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.
“We have to take action to break the business model of the people smugglers putting lives at risk and fix our broken asylum system. Our New Plan for Immigration will change the law so those who facilitate these dangerous crossings can face life behind bars.”