South Wales West MS Sioned Williams today urged the Westminster Government to drop it its "unlawful and inhumane" Illegal Migration Bill.
Speaking today at the Senedd, the South Wales West MS pointed out that the Bill had been "deemed by dozens of human rights organisations and legal experts as incompatible with the international human rights treaties of which the UK is a signatory, including the European convention on human rights, the 1951 refugee convention and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
The Bill, if passed, would represent a significant attack on the rights of refugees in the UK.
In her question to the Minister for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, Sioned Williams also spoke of how this Bill "undermines Wales' ambition of becoming a Nation of Sanctuary" and lambasted the leader of the Conservatives in Wales, Andrew RT Davies, for his use of language on social media:
"There can be no doubt that this deplorable Bill undermines Wales's aim to be a nation of sanctuary and our desire to expand the rights of refugees and asylum seekers to access services, not limit them. These are people, not a 'problem', as the leader of the Welsh Conservatives despicably stated on social media yesterday—not creating 'mayhem', in his shameful words, but our brothers and sisters, seeking our support.
"If we had the powers, we could ensure this inhumane, anti-refugee Bill would not apply in Wales. As that is unfortunately not the case, Plaid Cymru MPs yesterday laid an amendment to require the UK and Welsh Governments to jointly produce guidance, setting out how measures under this Act could be exercised in a way that is consistent with the Welsh Government's commitment of being a nation of sanctuary, and no guidance being allowed to be published unless it has been approved by this Senedd. It was disappointing that no Labour Welsh MPs were among those who signed the amendment."
Sioned Williams, who is Plaid Cymru's spokesperson on Social Justice and Equalities, went on to ask the Minister whether she agreed "with Plaid Cymru that this Bill is an affront to the values of the people of Wales, at odds with international human rights treaties and counter to Wales's stated ambition of being a nation of sanctuary? And, if so, what action can the Welsh Government take to ensure that, contrary to the title of this Bill, nobody who seeks sanctuary in Wales is illegal?"
Watch her full contribution below: