Migrants contribute hugely to the economic, civic and cultural life of London and the UK. To have a substantial number of them living here without regular status - because of deep-rooted failings in the immigration system, some dating back over a decade - is deeply damaging to London as well as to them.
It is time for a fresh start, with a one-off amnesty for migrants without regular status. We need careful discussion of its detail and, above all, the immigration system that should follow it. But on this basis I support the Strangers into Citizens campaign in calling for regularisation.
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, London Assembly (27 March 2007)

There is no way that a society like Britain or a city like London needs to build its wealth on the back of that kind of exploitation …. Much of the greatness of London has been fed by the energy and dynamism of foreigners. And I take the view that as soon as you arrive in London, you’re a Londoner. Let’s turn them from strangers into citizens.
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, message to TELCO Assembly (16 November 2006)
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While our nation benefits economically from the presence of undocumented workers, too often we turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers … Is it not time to consider, as other countries have done, ways of regularising their situation – those who are working in the country and do not have a criminal record - to the benefit of our economy and to enable them to play a fuller part in society?
The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, homily at Mass for Migrant Workers, Westminster Cathedral (1 May 2006)
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Hardly a week goes by when I do not have letters and correspondence from people in distress who may be held in custody, or who are without financial support, or at risk in employment, because we have not given them a proper place in our community … Let us support this campaign. Let us drive to the margins the racism and discrimination that lie in the background of so much public attitudes, stirred up by the media, with regard to this issue. East London must set an example to the rest of the country, that we are a place of welcome to the stranger. This is the place where we seek to build the lives of those who are some of the most vulnerable in our midst.
Bishop of Chelmsford, John Gladwin, message to TELCO Assembly (16 November 2006)

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[2007] marks the second centenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British empire. What makes the Strangers into Citizens campaign so challenging is that it is forcing us to acknowledge that its modern-day version is flourishing. People like Nehad may have some freedom of movement, but in reality, every detail of their daily lives is sharply circumscribed by fear. He bitterly knows that though he is 34, he has no chance of marriage, children, a home, a decent job, or a life worth living. He is just waiting - without any hope that the wait will end.
Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian, 18 December 2006

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The call for regularisation or amnesty makes perfect sense and it must now be hoped that others follow the lead offered by the Cardinal and The East London Communities Organisation with its Strangers into Citizens campaign. Regularisation will provide a real security for thousands of workers who can then come out of the twilight zone and contribute fully to society - a right that should not be denied to any human being.
The Universe, editorial (26 November 2006)

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The CSSA is delighted to be able to support the Strangers into Citizens campaign currently being promoted by the Citizen Organising Foundation. CSSA members have long argued that the current system of employer checks on the right to work in the UK are over complex and that this combined with forgery makes enforcement impossible. Strangers into Citizens is a response that will improve the security of many thousands of workers in the cleaning sector

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The Strangers into Citizens assembly this evening shows that the people of `middle England' will listen to new thinking on migration, they do understand that the current approach is failing and that the human costs are horrendous. They understand that the economic and moral case for an "earned amnesty" for migrants is overwhelming.
Jack Dromey, Deputy General Secretary, T&G, Strangers into Citizens Birmingham event (20 March 2007)

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That is why I give my support to this call for regularisation procedures which will give them proper legal recognition to those who steadily contribute to our economy. This is what we owe them. To fail to do this is to support the exploitation that brings hardship to conscientious workers and does real damage to the well-bring of our society.
Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham, Birmingham Citizens assembly meeting

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