Top doctors have identified the UK immigration system as a “public health problem” that is harming asylum seekers and risks retraumatizing those already affected by psychological problems.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) has called on ministers to review immigration laws introduced by the last government, saying Labor has a “moral and ethical obligation” to protect the mental health of those seeking refuge in Great Britain.
“A robust immigration policy can still be guided by human kindness that is fair and compassionate,” said Dr. Lade Smith, president of the RCP.
Smith said many asylum seekers had left countries where they had experienced violence, rape, captivity and torture, before suffering further trauma during dangerous journeys to Britain, sometimes at the hands of human traffickers.
It was therefore no surprise that many asylum seekers developed mental illness and were at risk of being re-traumatized due to the treatment they received upon arrival. It was Britain’s duty to make their lives “better and not worse”, she said.
Although the new government had made some welcome policy changes, including scrapping plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, a range of immigration legislation introduced since 2022 remained in place, she said.
These laws criminalized asylum seekers who did not arrive in Britain via established routes, created a more onerous asylum procedure and introduced provisions to allow the processing of asylum claims in so-called ‘third’ countries.
The mental wellbeing of asylum seekers came into the spotlight last year following the suicide of a resident of the Bibby Stockholm floating accommodation vessel in Dorset, which was notorious for its poor living conditions. The ship is scheduled to close in January.
A report published this week by the RCP criticizes conditions in asylum seeker hotels and some ‘prison-like’ detention centers in which physical and social isolation, sleep deprivation and surveillance of residents are common.
It warns that the new government has not repealed the illegal migration law, which paved the way for the shipment of asylum seekers to Rwanda. This leaves open the possibility that it could carry out forced removals to so-called “safe third countries” in the future.
There was evidence from Australia that in cases where asylum seekers were transferred to offshore locations for claims processing they subsequently had high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and self-harm, the report said.
“The government has a moral and ethical obligation to ensure that all immigration legislation explicitly protects and supports people with mental illness,” it added.
Smith said: “As is clear from our report, we particularly welcome the government’s commitment to repeal the Rwanda legislation, which did not allow those seeking refuge to be appropriately assessed and treated for an existing mental illness.”
She added: “The report contains recommendations that, if adopted by policymakers and implemented by mental health professionals and their clinicians, could mitigate some of the harm caused by the asylum process.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Mental health care is available to all asylum seekers through Migrant Help, and welfare officers are also available 24 hours a day to assist. We will of course review every report and make improvements where necessary.”