ABSTRACT
The 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act met with universal opposition from those who support the rights of asylum seekers. This is the engagement of parts of the voluntary sector in a system which is antagonistic to the interests of refugees. The involvement of some voluntary agencies in that part of the legislation which transforms asylum seekers into an 'underclass' by removing entitlement to welfare state support and enforcing dependency on a new poor law. There are two mutually exclusive positions that can be taken on this involvement. First, it can be argued that the role of the voluntary sector is essentially a facilitating one that is helpful to asylum seekers through the provision of advice and other help, based on the so-called support provisions of the 1999 Act. Second, it can be argued that any identification with any part of the 1999 legislation serves to legitimise and strengthen not only the new poor law, but the whole of the legislation.
