ELECTION promises to crack down on immigration will make life even harder for asylum seekers fleeing persecution, our bishop said.

The Conservative Party has pledged to create quotas on asylum seekers if they win the next general election and Labour plans stricter controls on granting applications. Both will mean turning away people who genuinely face death threats in their home countries.

Our bishop, the Rt Rev Kenneth Stevenson said: “Immigration and asylum are emotive issues and Christians will hold a variety of views about them. But we all have to realise that behind the headlines are real people at their most vulnerable. In the clamour for cheap votes, there is a distinct lack of compassion for those who are genuine. They need our protection, not political rhetoric slung out without thought for those affected.”

The bishop called on both parties to re-think their policies. His stance cames on the day (March 21) that the Church of England released a report advocating compassion and solidarity for asylum seekers. "A Place of Refuge - a positive approach to asylum seekers and refugees in the UK" advances a Christian case for asylum policies. It explains the legal basis of the asylum system and examines the economic and other contributions made to the UK by asylum seekers and refugees.

The Rev Nick Ralph, social responsibility adviser for the Anglican diocese of Portsmouth and chairman of Portsmouth Area Refugee Support (PARS), has been astonished at the level of misunderstanding on the issue. He recently had a complaint about the misuse of such language on a BBC Radio 4 news item successfully upheld and a reminder was issued to journalists.

“Too often asylum seekers are confused with economic migrants, and - while there will always be some who try to abuse the system - that is not true of the majority,” he said. “Many of the stories we hear at PARS are heart-breaking and backed up by the scars people physically bear. They suffered persecution and now they are made to suffer destitution, often because they have no money to pay for food, clothes or legal representation.”

One concern is that changes to the system now mean that asylum seekers are only allowed access to a solicitor for up to five hours, leaving many without a lawyer at appeal hearings, even if they can’t speak English.

“The issue is how a society that claims to be civilised treats those on the margins of that society, whom the government sometimes makes deliberately destitute, limits their right to adequate legal representation and then sends back to areas where they can and do suffer from persecution,” said Nick.

“This is to ridicule all normal forms of justice and hardly acting like the Good Samaritan. People are sent back to countries such as Zimbabwe, Iran and Iraq that are not safe, and they can be persecuted or even killed just because they left for another country. That makes this country partly responsible for mass murder, albeit at a distance, all because of a clamour for votes and the desire of politicians to be seen to vie with one another as to who can ‘clamp down hardest’.”

Portsmouth Area Refugee Support offers food, information, support and a welcome to vulnerable and destitute asylum seekers and refugees at weekly drop-in sessions. Its staff and volunteers have seen more than 650 individuals from 44 different countries in the past year, who made a total of 2,300 visits.

PARS chairman Nick Ralph compares some popular myths with the truth about asylum seekers in the current edition of the Pompey Chimes, the monthly newspaper published by Portsmouth’s Anglican diocese. They are as follows:

Myth: Most asylum seekers are illegal.

Fact: Everyone has the right to claim asylum in another country. If your application is accepted, you officially become a ‘refugee’. If it fails, you are a ‘failed’ asylum seeker. There is no such thing as an ‘illegal’ asylum seeker.

Myth: Most asylum seekers come to the UK for economic reasons.

Fact: Living standards fall for most who seek asylum here. Educated professionals are the ones who can afford to come, so 53 per cent of asylum seekers have academic qualifications. Most come because there is conflict in their country – the top five places they came from in 2004 were Iran, China, Somalia, Zimbabwe and Iraq, which all have wars or human rights problems.

Myth: The UK is being swamped by asylum seekers.

Fact: The UK actually turns down 90 per cent of asylum applications at present, and has a much stricter policy than most of Europe. The number seeking asylum has dropped from 84,000 in 2002 to around 34,000 in 2004.

Myth: Asylum seekers are taking our jobs and/or benefits.

Fact: They are denied access to mainstream welfare benefits and often not allowed to work. If they can prove they are destitute, and are willing to return to their home country, they can claim £39 a week from the Home Office. That means they often go hungry or become ill.