Over the past decade, the government has rolled out a series of measures aimed at creating a ‘hostile environment’ for people living in the UK without immigration status.

This report assesses the impacts of the hostile environment on individuals and communities. It draws on new analysis of government data and interviews with a range of stakeholders, including people with direct experience of the hostile environment, charities and NGOs, immigration lawyers, and former government officials.

It finds that the hostile environment has contributed to forcing many people into destitution, has helped to foster racism and discrimination, and has erroneously affected people with the legal right to live and work in the UK.

Published in September 2020 by the Institute for Public Policy Research.