Migrants and the Courts

Reviews / Votes

'Immigration and asylum are rarely off the front pages of British newspapers and increasingly the decisions of British judges on whether people should be allowed to stay in the UK are also matter of public discussion in the papers. This fascinating book gives the reader an insight into why and how this has happened. How did immigration control and refugee protection become part of British law and move from an area where administrative discretion was exercised in quiet back rooms to one characterized by the objectives of transparency and judicial oversight? This book provides extraordinary insights which answer at least some of these questions. Written by a judge whose professional career spanned the most important period of this transformation, this book explains how rule of law came to a field of administrative authority and why.' Elspeth Guild, Queen Mary, University of London, UK and Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands 'Geoffrey Care is a realist, candidly acknowledging that there is no such thing as a perfect procedure for assessing refugee status. Yet this book rightly insists that nothing less than transparency and accountability in making these life-and-death decisions is acceptable, and shows how best to get there.' James C. Hathaway, University of Michigan, USA 'A fascinating history, told with interesting anecdotal first hand commentaries, of the first 40 years of immigration and asylum appeals in UK. Geoffrey Care highlights the pains and strains of the huge growth in numbers and the constant battle for independent judicial decision making. Complimented with excellent country comparatives this is important reading for all decision makers, judges, government policy makers, and politicians, lawyers, academics and media commentators.' Allan Mackey, Former President, IARLJ, Senior Immigration Judge, UK, Chair of Refugee and Residence Appeal Authorities, New Zealand, Visiting Lecturer University of Tokyo, Japan 'An excellent book on migr