On Friday the 23rd of June, to round off a week of events held across civil society for Refugee Week 2023, the Human Rights Consortium held an event on the so-called Illegal Migration Bill – which we’ve dubbed the Illegal Bill on Migration – alongside our colleagues in the Public Interest Litigation Support (PILS) Project and Ulster University’s Transitional Justice Institute.

The event was hosted by the TJI in Ulster University’s Belfast campus, with many also attending online through Zoom.

Following opening remarks from Gillian Kane of Ulster University, the first panel examined the Bill’s contents, its implications for the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the Windsor Framework, impacts on the land border and changes it would make for those seeking asylum.

We heard from those working on the Bill including barrister Helena Wilson, PILS Project’s Membership Coordinator Hilary Perry, CAJ’s Immigration Project Solicitor & Coordinator Úna Boyd, and the Consortium’s own Research Officer Alexa Moore.

The second panel focused on the direct experiences of individuals and organisations navigating the asylum system and working with those who do, discussing their priorities for action, the lived experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in Northern Ireland and the impact this Bill would have on those communities.

We heard expert input from HAPANI’s (Horn of Africa People’s Aid NI) Founder and Managing Director Suleiman Abdulahi, the Law Centre NI’s Liz Griffith, and RASNI (Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Northern Ireland) Voices representative Mamadou Diallo.

You can view the recording of the event below. Please note there is significant sound interference from around 3:30 – 6:09. We would recommend skipping this section as you will not be able to hear the contributors.