18 February, 2025
Together with Collective Aid, our UK Chapter has released an Open Letter to Martin Hewitt, Head of the UK’s newly enacted Border Security Command. Read below and click here to add your organisation’s name to support our two crucial suggestions: prioritise lives and ensure transparency.
Dear Martin Hewitt,
The Border Security Command must prioritise lives and ensure transparency.
Congratulations on your appointment as the head of the newly established Border Security Command in September, 2024.
Your role represents a significant responsibility in shaping the UK's approach to border security at a critical moment in both national and international migration policies. Reinforcing your role is the proposed Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, introduced 30 January, 2025.
Part 1 Chapter 1 of the Bill is dedicated to the Border Security Commander, and outlines your role. Though not explicitly dictated in the bill, it has been reported that it is within your power to use the redirected funds of the previous government’s cruel migration plans (150 million from the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda, in addition to £75 million from the Illegal Migration Act) in order to lead a compassionate agency which other states can emulate.
Prior to the announcement of the proposed bill, Prime Minister Keir Starmer made reference to Border Security Command at the European Political Community meeting in Budapest on 7 November, 2024, ahead of signing agreements with Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo: “Backed by our new Border Security Command, the UK will be at the heart of the efforts to end the scourge of organised immigration crime - but we cannot do it in isolation.”
These agreements, in addition to a previous partnership with Albania serve as an attempt to block the transit of people on the move between the Western Balkans and the EU and UK. The first international liaison directly between Border Security Command and a state, Germany, was also confirmed on 10 December, 2024. However, strengthening borders through international agreements and the Command will neither remove nor reduce the causes of migration, or the essential need for safe routes. This presents an opportunity under your leadership.
As organisations and individuals deeply committed to the protection and human rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and people on the move, we have provided the following two suggestions which will help ensure that humanitarian principles are the cornerstone of the Border Security Command's operations, whilst in keeping with the proposed Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill’s mandate:
Prioritise Lives
Chapter 1 Part 1 of the proposed Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which details your role as Commander, fails to mention the essentiality of prioritising lives. Implementing robust oversight, prioritising humanitarian compliance, and ensuring transparent operations will avoid harmful mistakes whilst upholding the UK's commitment to international law and human dignity. Pushbacks at sea or at land borders are not only morally indefensible, but they also violate international obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. The UK has long prided itself on its humanitarian values, and the Border Security Command must continue this legacy by prioritising the safety and dignity of people attempting to reach its shores.
The establishment of the Border Security Command comes amid increasing concerns about the use of pushbacks and other aggressive deterrence measures that have been linked to violations of human rights in other contexts. It is critical that the Command does not replicate the troubling practices observed under the EU’s Frontex activities. Frontex, which marked its 20th year of operations in 2024, serves as a cautionary example. Whilst the Border Security Command is distinct in its formation and mandate, it must proactively learn from Frontex's challenges. Though Serbia’s collaboration with Frontex was initially cited as a "success" in reducing the number of people crossing the Balkan Route, this approach has come at a steep human cost. Pushbacks, violence and dangerous interceptions have been linked to fatalities, with countless lives lost. Statewatch reported on 13 September, 2024, a troubling connection between Frontex-coordinated flights and fatalities in the Channel. Furthermore, whilst Mediterranean crossings have also decreased, migration routes have shifted, increasing pressure and dangers in places like the Libyan coast and the Poland-Belarus border.
We suggest Humanitarian Search and Rescue (SAR) operations form a key part of the Border Security Command’s mission. Rather than focusing on deterrence and militarisation of the Franco-UK border, the Command must invest in resources and strategies which will ensure safe passage for those fleeing danger and persecution. This includes working with NGOs and international organisations, such as the Royal National Lifeguard Institution and the National Marine Rescue Company (Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer), who have been at the forefront of rescue efforts, ensuring that people rescued at sea are treated with dignity and given the opportunity to apply for asylum, as is their legal right.
Ensure Transparency
As outlined, in Chapter 1 Part 4 and Part 11 of the proposed Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, the Border Security Commander must ensure transparency and accountability. Frontex has been heavily criticised for a lack of transparency. To help avoid Frontex’s mistakes, the Border Security Command must work with civil society organisations and guarantee regular public reporting on activities, including independent oversight to monitor compliance with human rights standards and international law.
A commitment to transparency will also help avoid false criminalisation. Rushed prosecutions must not be the priority of investigations, so that cases such as Ibrahima Bah are not repeated.
Technology investments must have ethical standards, including adhering to data protection laws in every country the Command has jurisdiction, and not investing in emerging AI technologies with racially profiling biased algorithms.
In conclusion, from here on out, the UK has the opportunity to lead by example by establishing policies that uphold international law and respect human dignity. With this approach, together, we can create a future where protection and empathy, not fear and exclusion, guide our policies and inspire others to do the same.
Uniting in solidarity, the UK Chapter of Europe Must Act and Collective Aid.
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