{"id":186770,"date":"2021-06-01T05:33:01","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T05:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=1436918"},"modified":"2021-06-01T05:33:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T05:33:01","slug":"refugee-who-works-on-nhs-front-line-slams-priti-patels-immigration-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/06\/01\/refugee-who-works-on-nhs-front-line-slams-priti-patels-immigration-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Refugee who works on NHS front line slams Priti Patel\u2019s immigration plans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An NHS worker who has spent the pandemic helping save lives on a Covid-19 ward says Priti Patel\u2019s immigration plans will see refugees like her turned away from the UK.<\/p>\n<p>Mariam, from Eritrea, is determined to help people and has been working exhausting 12-hour shifts in a Leeds hospital assisting coronavirus patients, sometimes four days in a row.<\/p>\n<p>But figures released on Tuesday suggest that two in every three women and children who the UK would accept as refugees now would be turned away in future under proposed new government rules.<\/p>\n<p>Coalition group Together With Refugees is calling for a more effective, fair and humane approach to the UK\u2019s asylum system.<\/p>\n<p>The Home Office said the figures released by the group \u201cwrongly conflate\u201d refugees with people arriving via an \u201cillegal route\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START PA Quote --><\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"pa-embed\" data-type=\"quote\" data-quote=\"The UK gave me an opportunity and now I'm working. I don't want to be dependent on the Government\" data-source=\"Mariam\"><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/content-embed.pressassociation.com\/embeds.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END PA Quote --><\/p>\n<p>Mariam joined the health service after coming to Britain in the back of a lorry in 2009, fleeing persecution and imprisonment in Eritrea.<\/p>\n<p>However, Home Office plans to overhaul the immigration system may well have seen her application rejected because of her method of arrival, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Mariam told the PA news agency: \u201cWhen I left Eritrea, I didn\u2019t know if I was going to live or die.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just knew I had to get out. Every day, I thank God for bringing me here, and secondly I thank the people of the UK who saved me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I am alive and because I am in a safe country I promise to God that I will help anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mariam, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was granted asylum after her arrival in the UK and works as a clinical support worker, battling on the front line of the health crisis.<\/p>\n<p>When she contracted Covid-19, she thought \u201cI am dying\u201d as she struggled to breathe, but she recovered and returned to her work, driven to help people after seeing so many die in Eritrea.<\/p>\n<p>She said: \u201cThe UK gave me an opportunity and now I\u2019m working. I don\u2019t want to be dependent on the Government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m working and if I\u2019m asked to help, I will help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mariam said \u201cthe world knows what is happening\u201d in places like Eritrea and called on the Government not to deport people claiming asylum.<\/p>\n<p>Outlining her plans for immigration reform in March, Patel said: \u201cFor the first time, whether people enter the UK legally or illegally will have an impact on how their asylum claim progresses, and on their status in the UK if that claim is successful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will deem their claim as inadmissible, and make every effort to remove those who enter the UK illegally having travelled through a safe country first in which they could and should have claimed asylum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START PA Quote --><\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"pa-embed\" data-type=\"quote\" data-quote=\"We make no apology for seeking to fix a system which is being exploited by human traffickers, who are encouraging women and children to risk their lives crossing the Channel\" data-source=\"Together With Refugees\"><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/content-embed.pressassociation.com\/embeds.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END PA Quote --><\/p>\n<p>The government\u2019s New Plan for Immigration document claimed that, for the year ending September 2019, more than 60% of asylum claims were from people who are thought to have entered the UK \u201cillegally\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Sabir Zazai, Together With Refugees spokesperson and a refugee himself, said: \u201cAbandoning people fleeing war and persecution, including women and children, is not who we are in the UK.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are people in fear of their lives. These are people like me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are also people like you, people who want to live in safety and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Together With Refugees is a coalition of more than 200 organisations, founded by Asylum Matters, British Red Cross, Freedom from Torture, Refugee Action, Refugee Council and Scottish Refugee Council.<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START Image --><\/p>\n<figure id=\"embedded260117615\"><img src=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/ad4de0364f81382831feb585e6e8969fY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIyNjE0NzQz\/2.60117615.jpg?w=640\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/ad4de0364f81382831feb585e6e8969fY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIyNjE0NzQz\/2.60117615.jpg?w=271 271w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/ad4de0364f81382831feb585e6e8969fY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIyNjE0NzQz\/2.60117615.jpg?w=542 542w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/ad4de0364f81382831feb585e6e8969fY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIyNjE0NzQz\/2.60117615.jpg?w=828 828w\" alt=\"Immigration plans\" data-title=\"Immigration plans\" data-copyright-holder=\"PA Media\" data-copyright-notice=\"PA Media\" data-credit=\"Shabnam Nasimi\" data-usage-terms=\"PICTURE DESK USE ONLY. NO SALES\" \/><figcaption>Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Shabnam Nasimi, founder of the Conservative Friends of Afghanistan group (Shabnam Nasimi\/PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END Image --><\/p>\n<p>Prominent Conservative voice Shabnam Nasimi says the Home Secretary\u2019s plans risks punishing refugees.<\/p>\n<p>Nasimi, who was born in Afghanistan and founded the Conservative Friends of Afghanistan group, told PA: \u201cI think putting refugees in the same box as European economic migrants punishes refugees, people who are fleeing war-torn countries such as Afghanistan for security and a safe life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we close our doors what does it say about Britain, particularly global Britain after Brexit?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said Britain has a \u201cresponsibility\u201d towards all those seeking refuge, including people from Afghanistan who still face persecution.<\/p>\n<p>Actor Joanna Lumley self-filmed a video, saying: \u201cI\u2019m supporting Together With Refugees because how we treat refugees reflects who we are. Together With Refugees is calling for a better approach that is kinder, fairer and more effective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- TRACKING START GA --><script>(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js','ga');  ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'}); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Michael Drummond, PA South East Correspondent'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '19d86fb1-9e6c-457e-bc2f-a626518e6e9f'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:news,paservice:news:uk'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', null); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'anonymizeIp', true); ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Refugee who works on NHS front line hits out at Priti Patelu2019s immigration plans'});<\/script><!-- TRACKING END GA --><\/p>\n<p>By <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/author\/thecanary\/\">The Canary<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/uk\/news\/2021\/06\/01\/refugee-who-works-on-nhs-front-line-slams-priti-patels-immigration-plans\/\">The Canary<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mariam, from Eritrea, has been working 12-hour shifts helping coronavirus patients but says plans will see people like her refused asylum.<\/p>\n<p>By <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/author\/thecanary\/\">The Canary<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1541,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231,5588,3056,5612,4,3057,238,1395],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186770"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1541"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186770"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":186771,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186770\/revisions\/186771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}