Belonging Together Ministers responds to the Home Affairs Secretary’s statement on Immigration Reforms

The Belonging Together Ministers' Group has responded to the Home Affairs Secretary’s statement on Immigration Reforms. The group supports fellowship and growth among Methodist ministers of African, Caribbean, Asian and Black British heritage.

As the Belonging Together Ministers' Group, we acknowledge the real need for a robust immigration and border control system that is fair, efficient and humane. We recognise the responsibility of our government to manage migration in ways that uphold the rule of law and maintain social cohesion.

However, we express deep concern and objection to the language and tone used in the recent oral statement by the Home Affairs Secretary, Honourable MP Shabana Mahmood, in the House of Commons regarding immigration reforms aimed at “restoring order and control". While policy reform is a legitimate governmental function, the rhetoric employed risks criminalising, vilifying, and demonising vulnerable and innocent people – especially children – who seek refuge from danger. Bastian Vollmer and Markus Rheindorf (2025) rightly note that across Europe, migration is now a highly politicised topic that is frequently instrumentalised to align with electoral concerns and ideological divisions. As Scripture reminds us: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” (Proverbs 31:8)

Statements that frame migrants as abusers of generosity or as destabilising forces in our communities can whip up hostility and fear, creating fertile ground for prejudice and division, even for people who are not immigrants or asylum seekers. Such language appears to pander to hatemongers rather than promote justice and compassion, and it undermines the values of dignity and respect that should underpin public discourse on migration. As a justice-seeking church, the prophet Micah calls us to a higher standard: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8). The Home Office “reforms” language is anything but and has already rightly drawn criticism from MPs across the political spectrum, with some describing the approach as “performatively cruel” and “disingenuous”. The role reversal of victims becoming abusers is a nauseous misrepresentation. It is time that all right-thinking people must stand up against lazy and cynical narratives that blame immigration for all broken systems in the world.

As ministers committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we affirm that every person is made in the image of God and deserves to be treated with dignity, regardless of immigration status. The Methodist Church is called to welcome the sojourner, advocate for justice, and oppose policies that scapegoat or harm migrants. “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love foreigners in Egypt.” (Leviticus 19:33–34). We therefore applaud our Methodist Church, as a justice-seeking church, in its stance alongside those MPs and other public voices, and through the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT, Churches Working for Peace and Justice), who have found this approach disingenuous and horrendous. Our church will always unequivocally:

• speak out against rhetoric that stokes division and hostility
• advocate for immigration policies that balance security with compassion
• stand in solidarity with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants – especially children –who are among the most vulnerable.

The JPIT asserts: Our Christian faith compels us to hold that … “a system should prioritise human dignity and treat people as any of us would wish to be treated”. In this moment, let us remember that welcoming the stranger is not only a biblical mandate but a moral imperative. Our response must reflect the radical hospitality of Christ, who said: “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”