November 2017
What: Newspapers start reporting stories about how the British government is threatening, detaining, and deporting people from Commonwealth territories who arrived in the UK before 1973 if they cannot prove their right to remain in the UK. Commonwealth citizens are being denied legal rights and access to welfare.
Why significant: Evidence of ‘Hostile Environment’ legislation (a policy announced in 2012 which tasked the NHS, landlords, banks, employers and many others with enforcing immigration controls, and aiming to make the UK unlivable for undocumented migrants and ultimately push them to leave) affecting Commonwealth citizens. The Windrush scandal continues to impact those affected and wider communities, and has caused huge distress and some deaths.