In The Press

On the 23rd November, public law solicitor Jamie Bell attended the first Northern Ireland ILPA conference, held at Queen’s University Belfast discussing the Calais children and those who have not been given a right to international protection in the UK under the Dubs Amendment. Filmmaker Sue Clayton’s documentary entitled ‘Calais Children’ was screened the evening before the conference. The documentary was focused on the unaccompanied minor asylum-seeking Calais children and also featured Jamie and a team of legal practitioners who volunteered their time at the Calais jungle in 2016. It covers the team’s work in Calais prior to the closure of the Jungle as well as trips to France to visit child clients and the court case of ZS. Jamie is part of the team from Duncan Lewis acting in the key challenge against the Home Office in ZS, an unaccompanied minor, arguing that the selection criteria for asylum-seeking children applying to be transferred to the UK is unfair and opaque. Jamie spoke at the event in a Q & A panel alongside Sue Clayton to answer questions put to them by the attendees, made up of immigration practitioners in Northern Ireland.