Here’s my take on campaigning against deportation. There’s real scope (and need!) for reform but campaigning against *all* deportation is unrealistic. https://www.freemovement.org.uk/new-unofficial-policy-on-deporting-jamaicans-who-arrived-as-children-reported/

Really interesting and thought provoking responses to this from some people I really respect, thank you (incl @AlasdairMack66 @graciemaybe @minnierahman @crookedfootball @FrustratedImmi2 @kippercole @EdgewaterLegal @LukeEdeNoronha @fahadansari)

I agree it's important to have diversity of campaigns. But I don't see any major orgs pushing for more realistic, short and medium term reforms on a lot of immigration issues. Or, if they are, they are also pushing a lot further and harder and, I fear, undermining their message.

There's no politically credible set of proposals for reforming deportation laws out there AFAIK. I'd like to see this tied to humanity in decision making, citizenship reform and discussion of disproportionate criminalisation of young black men. I don't see that happening.

Personally I don't think 'just scrap them' or 'its all racist' works as an idea, for that or for hostile environment, minimum income rule, secure/external border and so on. We had quite moderate, limited, racialised free movement rules with the EU and lost even those!

Those who push for moderate reforms get criticised for not going further. 'Labour must do this politically suicidal thing', for example. Things are properly awful right now. That needs to change, fast. Major, systemic change doesn't happen quickly.

Given knee jerk hostility of many to immigration, reforms need somehow to build a consensus and a coalition, as with the really good campaign on immigration detention. Starting with 'don't deport those who arrived as children' seems like a way of achieving that.

Same for minimum income (don't separate returning Brits or those with children, hostile environment (don't discriminate against minority Brits), citizenship (long term residents and children should not be blocked), etc.

'People have legal right to cross channel in small boats', 'France is not safe', 'let them come', 'don't deport anyone' are positions that could almost be calculated to alienate as many people as possible.

By all means lets have some long term work going on, but I'd like to see more short/medium term coalition-building going on. Maybe it is, though, it's just people don't shout about it on Twitter.

These are my current thoughts (I really struggle with these issues) and I know others disagree. Twitter threads not ideal for this stuff but I'd be interested in publishing think-pieces on these issues on FM if anyone is interested. Just get in touch.