James Cleverly warns church against meddling in asylum claims in wake of chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi row
JAMES Cleverly today warns church leaders against meddling in asylum cases - as he backed ending secret justice in British immigration courts.
The Home Secretary warned clerics there is a massive difference between welcoming a newbie “to a flock” and “vouching” for a person so they dodge deportation.
It follows a national outcry over Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi, 35, who was granted asylum on appeal after a Baptist minister went to bat for him.
Writing in today’s Sun on Sunday, Mr Cleverly said: “We have met with the senior Church leaders to explain Christian conversion is no guarantee of asylum being granted.
“And we have stressed there is a real difference between welcoming new members to a flock and vouching for a person in an asylum tribunal.”
Mr Cleverly called in church leaders earlier this week to quiz them about how they decide to weigh in on asylum cases.
They have been told to go and look at if they have any national guidelines - or if clerics are just left alone to freestyle.
He also weighed in on calls to end secret justice - backing moves for Immigration Tribunals to have to publish more details of cases and documents used to come to decisions.
Details of Afghan Ezedi’s bid to claim asylum were only released when newspapers made formal legal requests for them to be opened to public scrutiny.
The bombshell documents showed Azedi lied about his background and failed Christianity tests.
His asylum claim was turned down by the Home Office twice. But he was granted asylum by an Immigration Tribunal judge on his third attempt after he claimed to have converted to Christianity.
Mr Cleverly said: “We were right to reject the asylum claims of the Clapham alkali attacker, twice, and believe a light shone on independent asylum tribunal decisions is needed.
“Allowing people to exploit the system risks detracting from the invaluable work Christians and the church do every day for our society – today of all days.”
Ezedi attacked a 31 year-old woman and her two children in south London with an alkaline chemical in January.
Since then, whistleblowers have come forward to say asylum seekers are pretending to convert to Christianity to dodge deportation.
Earlier this month, Reverend Matthew Firth told MPs “batches” of largely Iranian and Syrian young men came to his former parish every month for baptisms - but then showed no interest in their new faith.