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Refugees could be given homes in Jersey as part of the Island’s efforts to help alleviate the crisis in Europe.
Chief Minister Ian Gorst has confirmed that the option is being discussed with authorities in the UK and Guernsey – and that a relief fund will be set up in the coming days.
He has also confirmed that the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission has given £350,000 to support Syrian refugees since 2013, and that the Island’s support will continue.
Jersey is legally barred from taking or processing asylum claims, but Senator Gorst said that he and his opposite number in Guernsey have been talking to officials in the UK about providing homes for some of the desperate Syrian refugees fleeing civil war and the threat of ISIS in their homeland.
In a statement in the States yesterday, he said: “The Chief Minister of Guernsey and I are determined to do what we can to support the refugee relief effort and have been exploring the possibility of taking some refugee families here in the Channel Islands.
“Our officials have been liaising with the UK Home Office to take this matter forward and will continue to do so over the coming days.”
The details for the fund will be fully confirmed later today, but the Chief Minister’s department say that they can already start accepting donations:
By debit/credit card by phoning 440232.
In person at the Cyril Le Marquand House Cashiers by cash, cheque (made payable to “Treasurer of the States” with “Syrian refugee support fund” written on the reverse of the cheque) or by debit/credit card
It’s estimated that more than 19 million have fled homes in Africa and the Middle East – mainly from Syria and Eritrea – and many thousands have headed for Europe making perilous journeys thanks to unscrupulous people-smugglers. That tide of humanity has tested border controls and local infrastructure in the countries where they have arrived, and thousands have gathered at points including the Calais entrance to the Channel Tunnel and the Budapest Train Station.
On Monday, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Britain would resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020 and would add a further £100 million in aid to Syria, taking the total contribution to £1 billion.
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