Scottish Greens will oppose hostile environment for New Scots
The Scottish Greens have today set out plans for a new and better welcome for people making their lives in Scotland, pledging to oppose the UK Government’s anti-migrant policies.
The Scottish Greens say their plans would use devolved powers to ensure that everyone in Scotland can access essential services, regardless of immigration status, pilot giving asylum seekers the right to work, rolling out employability programmes for new Scots, and ending the use of unsuitable accommodation for asylum seekers, like hotels and barracks.
They are also calling for full devolution of immigration powers, allowing Scotland to create a fair system that meets the country’s economic needs while offering sanctuary to those seeking safety.
Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay said:
“Scotland would not be the nation it is today without the people who have chosen to make their lives here.
“People from all over the world have enriched our communities, strengthened our economy and shaped our culture in ways that are impossible to measure.
“But right now, far too many New Scots are being failed and targeted by a racist and authoritarian immigration system that is designed to punish and scapegoat them, actively making their lives harder.
“Like the Tories before them, Labour is forcing people into impossible situations, denying access to housing, work and even basic services. It pushes people into avoidable poverty by design, and creates a climate of fear and hate that damages our social fabric.
“That is not who we are in Scotland, and it is not the kind of country we should ever have to accept.
“The Scottish Greens will always stand alongside New Scots. That’s why we will oppose the hostile environment at every turn and use every power available to us to build a system based on dignity, humanity and respect.
“That means ending the use of private companies profiting from asylum accommodation, supporting councils and communities to welcome new arrivals, and ensuring that people are not left abandoned simply because of their immigration status.
“It also means standing up to the rise of the far right, rejecting their poisonous rhetoric, and building strong, diverse communities where everyone belongs."
Gillian Mackay added:
“Under devolution, there is only so much we can do when migration policies are reserved to Westminster and set by a Labour government that is constantly pandering to Nigel Farage.
“We cannot undo the damage of Westminster’s immigration system overnight, but we can refuse to be complicit in it, and we can choose our own path.
“A better system is possible. One where people are welcomed, supported and given the chance to build a life.
“If we want Scotland to set the migration policy that best works for us and our values, then we must bring those powers fully to the Scottish Parliament, through independence.
“A vote for the Scottish Greens on the 7th May is a vote to end the hostile environment for New Scots, and to give Scotland a choice on its future."
ENDS
