Dr Ala Sirriyeh 🇵🇸🍉

Public understanding and attitudes to irregular migration in the UK - I-CLAIM This report summarises findings from the February 2025 I-CLAIM survey of 1,147 UK adults, exploring public knowledge of irregular migration, how people define it, and their attitudes toward irregular ...

Today we published a report on public understanding & attitudes to #irregularmigration in the UK.
this is my a one-line summary:
strong opinions, wrong facts.
But there is so much more to it. Ultimately the picture is much more nuanced and complex...
i-claim.eu/project/publ...

From Colonial Subjects to Black Nations: Racializing the Caribbean within Global Blackness In this talk, Dr Jamella N. Gow examined how global racial hierarchies rooted in histories of racialized Black labour under capitalism define Caribbean nations as Black. Tracing the global historical processes of colonialism, imperialist underdevelopment, and neoliberalism in the Caribbean, she show

In case you missed it, the recording of our October #IdentitiesEvent is now available!

'From Colonial Subjects to Black Nations: Racializing the Caribbean within Global #Blackness' with Dr Jamella N. Gow

youtu.be/ZDg4dB22nqM

@aaronwinter.bsky.social @nasarmeer.bsky.social @jamellag.bsky.social

Benefit changes and larger families We are a group of university-based researchers investigating how families with more than two children are coping with the benefit cap or the two-child limit.

Over the last five years @nuffieldfoundation.org funded @kittyjstewart.bsky.social @aaronreeves.bsky.social @katejandersen.bsky.social @jdportes.bsky.social @katejandersen.bsky.social and I to research the impact of the two-child limit & the benefit cap largerfamilies.study

Visiting Fellowship applications and the Sally Hogg Prize

Calling all researchers in forced migration, apply now for the RSC Michaelmas Term (Oct – Dec) 2026 Visiting Fellowship programme & the new Sally Hogg Prize to support applicants from low-income countries or with lived experience of forced displacement.

More info: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/news/the-sal...

Think twice before copying Denmark’s asylum policies A migration researcher based in Denmark explains the downsides of its “zero asylum” policy and returns system.

Denmark runs one of Europe’s most restrictive asylum systems, revoking protections at scale and even seizing belongings to cover fees.

Some countries hail it as a model, but it carries serious risks: it undermines human rights and damages integration outcomes.

theconversation.com/think-twice-...

How new asylum policies will affect child refugees Child refugees could live their entire childhoods in Britain with no guarantee that they will remain in the place they have come to think of as home.

Article for @theconversation.com on how the government's new plans for asylum could impact on child refugees theconversation.com/how-new-asyl...

Changes to the UK asylum system: What we know so far - GMIAU The Home Secretary announced changes to the UK asylum system in a paper called "Restoring Order and Control".

Yesterday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a new set of hostile policy changes that will undermine the security and wellbeing of people seeking safety in the UK.

🔗 We have published a blog explainer about the changes, what this means in practice, their impact, and what we think:

MP Steve Reed on the radio this morning mentioning the deaths of babies crossing in small boats said ‘compassion isn’t all on one side’. So deporting families is compassionate? Again children’s lives and the discourse of compassion being mobilised to make life harder for people seeking asylum.

Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.

Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

A powerful analysis @alasirriyeh.bsky.social ‘bringing into conversation theoretical interventions on ‘making’ the migrant – migratisation – and ‘unmaking’ the child – unchilding’ in British immigration politics
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

New Government Data Shows Rise in Harm During Deportations Incidents of force during removals have more than doubled from last year

New data🔈 Latest Government data shows there has been an 25% increase in deportations and incidents of force during removals have more than doubled from last year 🚨

Read the data breakdown over on our Substack: buff.ly/hkxCBTP

Homelessness, fear of starvation and racism – destitute migrant mothers and their children on the reality of life in the UK Over six years, researchers have worked closely with 25 single-mother families living in the shadow of this policy - which even affects British citizens.

'You lose yourself. You lose your sense of identity.' Powerful words from mothers living with #NRPF in this latest Shadows piece for @theconversation.com Rachel Rosen & Eve Dickson show how mothers and their children make lives in the absence of state support.
theconversation.com/homelessness...

Ala Sirriyeh Bordering through unchilding: The case of Britain’s child migrants https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00380261251366887 The Sociological Review #OnlineFirst

How are racially minoritised children central to the bordering of Britain?

@alasirriyeh.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social reflects on theories of migratisation, the work of Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian and the erasure of belonging.

#OpenAccess @journals.sagepub.com buff.ly/vkEHpXp

Next webinar: Bordering/Mothering, 9 October Register on EventBrite to receive a Zoom link. In this event, we will celebrate two new books by SSAHE members: Bordering social reproduction: Migrant mothers and children making lives in the …

I'm very excited to share that the next SSAHE webinar will be a celebration of my new book - Borders, Citizenship, and Pregnancy - and of Bordering Social Reproduction by Rachel Rosen and Eve Dickson. Please register and join us online, 9 October, at 5pm #AcademicSky

ssahe.net/2025/09/03/n...

Strengthening border security and reforms to the asylum system Home Secretary statement on actions the government is taking with France to strengthen border security and reforms to the asylum system.

Well, Yvette, maybe refugees are applying for family reunification as soon as they can because 1) they've spent ages waiting for status and miss their kids; 2) it takes ages for reunification applications to be approved; and 3) their kids are ineligible once they turn 18 www.gov.uk/government/s...

Safe Routes to Nowehere Our report, Safe Routes to Nowhere: The UK’s Broken Promises on Family Reunion, is the result of nearly 2.5 years of work, drawing on RAMFEL’s casework experience and government data on family reunion...

Why bother with a discussion of what family reunion actually is & an analysis of the impact of changes with, say, @ramfel.bsky.social who recently published an excellent report excoriating the system’s EXISTING failures that keep families apart?

Nah. It’s #r4today🤷‍♀️ www.ramfel.org.uk/family-reuni...

Advance article (open access): Student antiracist activism and institutionalised equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in UK universities by Hannah Jones and Ala Sirriyeh - @uncomfiest @alasirriyeh.bsky.social -
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Image of article abstract text reading: This article presents research into trajectories of racially minoritised students to and through antiracist and decolonial activism in Higher Education. For some student antiracist activists, neoliberal equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) agendas provide entry points to antiracist activism which enable them to build knowledge, networks and platforms and make institutional changes, often exceeding these institutional roles to become more independent and radical. This is despite and in tension with the documented limitations of EDI and Student Voice measures of which the activists were well aware. We draw on narrative biographical interviews with racially minoritised undergraduate and postgraduate antiracist activists from seven universities across England, taking a broad understanding of activism to include everyday as well as more spectacular acts of resistance.

Wait ages for an article then 2 come along at once: w @alasirriyeh.bsky.social in @csp-journal.bsky.social

"Student antiracist activism & institutionalised equality, diversity & inclusion in UK #universities"

on #EDI #DEI in #HE as gateway to actual #antiracism
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Girl, two, who drowned in bin in London was failed by council, coroner finds Social workers declined to provide short-term foster care for Mazeedat Adeoye whose mother had overstayed visa

Yet another child death linked to NRPF. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024... #NRPF

Image description: a red and black tatreez pattern in the background, with a collage cut out of an orange sky, as well as olive trees, a dove, and black and red triangle cut outs of tatreez embroidery. Text in green and white reads: Everyone should be free to move. No one should be forced to move.

On Intl Solidarity Day with the Palestinian people, we reaffirm our position on migrant justice: all people should be free to move + no people should ever be forced to move.
We can't have migrant justice without an end to settler colonialism, genocide + displacement.

General strike march in Florence

General strike march in Florence

General strike march in Florence

General strike march in Florence

Today is a general strike in Italy - organised by the main unions against, amongst other issues, budget cuts in the education system & the militarisation of universities, & in solidarity with Palestinians. Today is also The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

In Florence

Great to see this out in the world! Our new publication led by Prof Milfrid Tonheim on relational and cultural continuity for migrant children in foster care. Learned a lot from our conversations.