Steve Valdez-Symonds

Written by Steve Symonds, Amnesty UK's Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme Director The power to detain is a long-standing Home Office obsession. For several years, the number of people detained has increased even as the proportion of...

The Brexit referendum decision is now the cause of considerable fear and uncertainty among the many European citizens and their families living in the United Kingdom. The reported rise in hate crimes compounds the uncertainty on which...

On Friday, the Kenyan government announced it intends to close its refugee camps. These camps host over 600,000 refugees – mostly in Kakuma and Dadaab, the latter being the world’s largest refugee camp. The announcement will bring much...

Late on Thursday last week I was on the Eurostar heading back to London – to home, family and friends. I was tired, cold and hungry. And – so my partner tells me – a little bit smelly. I had spent the previous two days trudging through...

A few weeks ago, David Cameron delivered his Christmas message to the nation. He said: 'If there is one thing people want at Christmas, it’s the security of having the family around them and a home that is safe.' While the Christmas...

Denmark has just passed asylum laws to give authorities the power to search refugees and migrants, and take their cash and valuables. Under this mean-spirited new law, the Danish police will be able to search asylum seekers and seize...

Update: Shortly after this blog was written, Hungary did announce its intention to seal off its border with Croatia at midnight on Friday 16 October. Our researchers will be following developments closely to see if that is indeed what...

On Sunday, Justice Secretary Michael Gove said on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show: “We cannot shut ourselves off from what happens globally.” But this is precisely what the government has been doing over the global refugee crisis. At...

Europe’s refugee ‘crisis’ continues to dominate headlines. This week, EU external border agency Frontex reported a record number of 107,500 people had arrived at Europe's borders irregularly – that is without permission and via...

Philip Hammond's recent remarks on the situation at Calais are reckless and they are shameful, but sadly they're also all too familiar. Once again, a senior minister is cranking up the rhetoric and stoking up anxiety, careless - or...

The situation at Calais is far from new. Calais has long been a place to which refugees and other migrants have come in the hope of getting to the UK. In 2002, it was mostly Iraqis and Afghans. Now there appears to be a wider range of...

This week, Amnesty supporters and thousands of people across the UK are celebrating Refugee Week , recognising the contribution to our country made by refugees – not only the more well-known faces – but also the many friends...

Last year, Italy ended Operation Mare Nostrum – its search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean. This was a proactive and effective mission in international waters seeking out boats in distress and rescuing tens of thousands of...