| Description | File containing press cuttings from national newspapers focusing on government policy on immigration, the arrival in Britain of Asians living in Kenya due to restrictions imposed on 'foreign' workers in that country, and the government reaction to their arrival, leading to the 1968 Commonwealth Immigrants Act, which restricted entry to this group. Articles cover the opposition to this legislation, and its effects on Asian communities already living in Britain.
Coverage consists of: protests against the new immigration legislation; the fears of Kenyan Asians of attack; opposition to readings of Immigration bill, the increase in the numbers of Kenyan Asians coming to Britain before the restrictions came into effect; emergency action taken to stem the flow of immigrants from Kenya February 1968; the passing of the Commonwealth Immigrants Bill by the House of Lords; James Callaghan's statements on the immigrants bill; opinion pieces on the immigration controls imposed on Kenyan Asians; the Commonwealth conference of Prime Ministers in January 1969, to discuss migration problems, boycotted by Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia; the information officer of the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants [NCCI] resigns in protest at the new immigration laws, riots at Nairobi airport as people struggle to get on flights to Britain; immigrants in Birmingham and the West Midlands support a temporary ban on immigration; legal challenges to new immigration legislation; some Kenyan Asians try to enter India instead of Britain; Liberal and some Labour MPs to vote against the Commonwealth Immigrants bill; hardship tests introduced for potential entrants; British attempts to get Kenya to soften its policies towards the Asian community there and the Indian Workers Association response in Birmingham to the possibility of the government putting up legal barriers to slow immigrants; Indian multi-millionaires plan to airlift Kenya Asians to Britain to beat the government deadline;the issue of work vouchers to entrants to Britain; the Kenya African National Union calls for the deportation of Kenya Asians; passport loophole could make it impossible for the Commonwealth Immigrants bill to be enforced without the co-operation of Kenyan government; test case appeal to the European Commission on Human Rights over the Commonwealth Immigrants bill; letters to newspaper editors about curbs on the entry of Asian immigrants from Kenya; protest marches against the Immigration bill; advisory panels working for the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants [NCCI] oppose the Commonwealth Immigrants bill; Kenya Asian traders ask Britain to pay compensation; Commonwealth talks on immigration near failure; individual case studies about Kenya Asians trying to enter Britain; the Commonwealth sets up a working party on migrants 1969; penalties for ships and aircraft taking illegal immigrants from Kenya and the policy of Africanisation in Kenya; Birmingham plan to keep the door open to Kenya Asians formulated by D. R. Prem, Deputy Chairman of the Birmingham Advisory Council for Immigrants; Indian leaders in Britain say that reports of a mass exodus of Asians from Kenya are distorted and likely to fuel racial prejudice - with individual case studies 1968; the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants [NCCI] condemns the Commonwealth Immigrants Bill as racist; international companies in Kenya fear the loss of skilled manpower with the exodus of Kenya Asians; Australia eases restrictions on immigrants; D. R. Prem as the vice chairman of the Liaison Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants criticises comments by Councillor Franklin on the health of immigrants in Birmingham 1968. |