News

A letter from asylum seeking members of Bristol Refugee Rights

4th February 2026

A group of people seeking asylum we support told us that they want to respond to the rise in anti-immigration feeling in the streets, the media and in politics calmly and with hope. They wrote this letter during our January Members Voice Group Meeting as part of this reponse.

Dear Elected Representatives, Civil Servants, and Policy Makers,

We are a group of humans who happen to be asylum-seekers and members of Bristol Refugee Rights. We have come to the UK seeking safety, protection and a positive future. We are writing together to share our hopes and concerns, because of the rise in anti-immigration feeling in the streets, the media and in politics. 

We want people to understand that behind the label “asylum seeker” are real people. We are human beings. We have families, skills, ideas, and values. We really care about safety and being part of the community around us. We want to live ordinary lives… to work, to pay taxes, to contribute to our local areas, to support our families, and to feel that we belong.

The asylum system creates serious daily barriers. Long delays in decision making and being forced to wait for years without the right to work or even study takes a heavy toll on mental health. Many of us feel like we are wasting away with our lives on hold, our purpose taken away. Living in uncertainty, unstable accommodation, and with limited access to healthcare leads to feelings of emptiness, anxiety, and depression. We are not living in luxury or receiving fast-tracked access to services. Most of the time, we are simply trying to survive each day.

Still, we contribute to society by volunteering, community involvement and caring for each other. We want to do more to add to the growth and development of this country. We want to provide and build a future. It is painful to be judged without being known.

We are also writing while the government is proposing some asylum reforms. Proposals that increase waiting times or uncertainty create fear and make it harder to rebuild our lives. Being stuck in limbo for longer prevents us from settling, integrating, and contributing fully.

If you remember one thing from this letter, we hope it is this: people seeking asylum are people like you. We have common values with British society and we want to live together in peace. We ask that conversations about asylum be led with care and humanity, not fear.

We are asking you to:

• Listen to our experiences, and share food and stories together
• Speak out against harmful and dehumanising language about people seeking asylum
• Raise our concerns and support fair and humane policies

We want to walk together and work collaboratively on finding positive futures in the UK.

Thank you for taking the time to read our words.

Yours sincerely,

Asylum-seeking members of Bristol Refugee Rights

If you would like to respond or arrange a meeting, please contact info@bristolrefugeerights.org

Support our Bristol Welcomes Refugees campaign

15th September 2025

Rising hostility is making refugees and asylum seekers feel unsafe and unwelcome. Now, more than ever, they need our specialist support and safe spaces. We have launched our Bristol Welcomes Refugees campaign so that we can provide essential support and show refugees that they are welcome in our city.

To do this, we need to raise £10,000 so that we can provide essential support to help refugees and asylum seekers feel safe and welcome in Bristol. Your donations will provide people seeking asylum with:

1) A Warm Welcome: People seeking asylum will access a friendly and safe environment where they can play games, make art, and enjoy warm community meals.

2) A Strong Community: People seeking asylum will integrate into the local community as they can practice English and access volunteering opportunities.

3) A Safe Future: People seeking asylum will access empowering advice and information on how to stay safe and rebuild their lives.

Your support is currently more important than ever.

Find out more and donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/bristol-welcomes-refugees

Our statement following anti-migrant protests

11th September 2025

We stand in solidarity with all migrants impacted by the protests and hate crimes that are rippling across the country. In Bristol, we have seen hotel protests, property set on fire, and racial attacks. To put this in context, this is against vulnerable people in society, who have fled unsafe situations and are seeking safety, only to be confronted with further attacks. This week, after seeing a poster for a protest, a child we support asked their mum if they were an illegal immigrant. No-one, let alone a child, should be made to feel this week. Asylum seekers are not “illegal” – it is a human right to seek asylum.

We know Bristol is a place of welcome and we hae seen hundreds of people step out in protection of refugees and asylum seekers. We have been continuing to deliver specialist support and welcoming services to asylum seekers in Bristol. We call on the government and media to stop using harmful terms such as “illegals”, and instead welcome refugees, acknowledging the value and contribution diversity brings.

In the face of hate, we choose solidarity.

Dammy Le Grand

22nd August 2025

We are deeply saddened to share that Damaris Le Grand has died. Dammy was a dear and long standing friend of Bristol Refugee Rights. She played a significant role in supporting BRR – she took part in the first Drop-In that we ran in 2006 and continued to volunteer with us for many years, impacting an immeasurable number of lives along the way. Her warmth, compassion, and dedication to the BRR community will be held in our memory for many years to come.

Supporting your activism in the face of the far-right

15th August 2025

Last weekend, the people of Bristol once again showed refugees and asylum seekers that they are welcome in our city. The counter-protestors easily outnumbered the far-right protestors. Thank you to everyone who turned up to express their solidarity to people seeking sanctuary in Bristol.

We know recent events mean lots of people are having difficult conversations about migration with friends, colleagues and family members. There continues to be a lot of talk in the media and in politics about the number of people seeking asylum in the UK, particularly people arriving in small boats. There’s lots of misinformation and statistics thrown around which can make it hard to keep track of what’s actually happening.

We’ve made this fact sheet which we hope will help keep perspective and create meaningful conversations about migration. Only have these conversations if you feel safe to do so!

BRR Migration Factsheet August 2025

An empowering day at Bristol Pride️‍

16th July 2025

Our Pride Without Borders members and volunteers had a truly empowering and joyous time at the Bristol Pride march on Saturday! We channelled the spirit of Pride – combining celebration and afrobeat dancing with protest and passionate chants. It really was a special and energising day for our members.

LGBTQ+ people seeking asylum often experience isolation. Many are excluded from national and religious communities, and face barriers in accessing LGBTQ+ communities and spaces in their new country. Some of the current political and social atmosphere in the UK is only making this more difficult. Our Pride Without Borders support group is a safe space for LGBTQIA+ refugees and people seeking asylum to find community and support. You can find out more about Pride Without Borders here.

Celebrating Refugee Week and the Bristol Refugee Festival

25th June 2025

We had a wonderful time celebrating Refugee Week at the Bristol Refugee Festival celebration on Sunday!

This year for Refugee Week, the theme was Community as a Superpower. Every day at Bristol Refugee Rights we see the power of community – from our volunteers who support people to feel welcome and access advice and support, to our supporters who donate to keep our services running, and to members of the community who offer simple gestures to help create feelings of welcome and belonging.

Thank you so much to all the members, volunteers, and new and old friends of BRR who came along to our stall to say hi and add messages of support and welcome to our bunting. These messages are a counter to the hostility we so often hear in the news, and are an important reminder of the huge levels of support and solidarity for asylum seekers and refugees in our community.

Joint civil society statement on the Supreme Court ruling on Rwanda

15 November 2023

We are relieved today that the Supreme Court has made the right decision and declared that Rwanda is not a safe country for this Government to send people needing safety. The Rwanda plan was always cruel and immoral. We urge the Government to immediately abandon such plans with Rwanda or with any other country, and instead protect the rights of people who have come to our country in search of sanctuary.

While we welcome the decision today, we remain concerned by this Government’s overall treatment of people who move to this country. We are alarmed by this Government’s continuous efforts to detain and forcibly send people to countries where they may not know anyone, especially if it puts them at risk of harm and human rights violations. We know that as a community we are compassionate and welcoming, and we need immigration policies that are rooted in that same care, compassion, and respect for human rights. We call on everyone to stand up for the rights of people seeking sanctuary, regardless of where they come from or how they travel here.

Signed:

1. Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI)

2. Bristol Refugee Rights

and 138 other civil society organisations