A decade of the hostile environment and its impact on health

In 2012, the former Home Secretary Theresa May introduced a set of policies, the intent of which were to ‘create a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants’1 (Note: While mechanisms existed to charge migrants prior to this, the practice did not become widespread until after 2012). These policies, now widely known as the hostile environment, refer to a range of measures that embed immigration control within a range of public and private services. Among these measures, the UK government requires landlords, employers, public servants, including police, teachers and healthcare workers to check people’s immigration status before they can offer housing, a job or healthcare. Those that fail to check people’s status can face fines or criminal sanctions signifying that immigration controls now permeate a range of essential services, with the effect of criminalising the day-to-day activities of undocumented migrants.