UK Government's handling of illegal immigration under fire from Church leaders
Church leaders in the UK have spoken out against the UK Government's approach to illegal immigration.
The Church of Scotland said current policies were "leading to destitution, discrimination and distrust."
It is joining with the Baptist Union, Methodist Church and United Reformed Church in calling for a review of policies.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
They have launched a new report to coincide with Refugee Week in which they say that the Government's current approach runs counter to the Christian teaching of welcome and hospitality.
They also accuse the UK Government of fostering a "hostile" environment for immigrants that encourages "suspicion" of the other.
Rev Dr Richard Frazer, convener of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland, said that the hostile treatment had gone beyond those in the country illegally to affect ordinary immigrants.
He also accused the UK Government of using poverty as a tool to force people into returning to their own countries.
"As a group of Church denominations, the injustices of the hostile environment alarm us," he said.
"The impact of the hostile environment has gone well beyond immigrants who are in the country illegally.
"It is of deep concern that people who do not look or sound 'British' are now facing increased levels of discrimination in finding homes and employment.
"We believe it is inhumane to use the threat of destitution as a policy tool to encourage people to leave the country and we call for an immediate end to indefinite detention."
The Church of Scotland has been active in supporting immigrants. Rev Brian Casey of Springburn Parish Church, in Glasgow, has led a high profile campaign to allow a 10-year-old orphaned asylum seeker to remain in the country. Giorgi Kakava has been in Scotland since he was three but now he and his grandmother face deportation back to their native Georgia.
The minister of Possilpark Parish Church, the Rev Linda Pollock has been fighting to stop another family from being deported back to their home country of Pakistan, where Christians are persecuted.
Dr Frazer said many churches were supporting immigrants experiencing hardship as a result of their status in the UK.
He pleaded for more compassionate treatment of illegal immigrants.
"Due process, justice and the proper implementation of immigration policies should not require us to live in suspicion of our neighbor," he said.
"The hostile environment spins a web of distrust and encourages suspicion.
"As Christians we believe that God calls us to offer welcome to the stranger and care for the vulnerable, whoever they are."
