Something has shifted — and not quietly.
In the US, Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration agent during a raid. She was a mother. A partner. A person. She cared deeply about her neighbours and tried to protect them from border violence.
And after she was murdered, a horrific wave of vitriol and hate was unleashed.
People are celebrating it.
Openly. Proudly.
That celebration isn’t happening only in the US. It’s happening here too.
In the UK, the Home Office continues to post videos of immigration raids and deportations on social media, and to work closely with the press when some of these raids take place in order to peddle their anti-migrant narrative. Make no mistake: this is a deliberate strategy. It’s about normalising state violence — and making it watchable, even enjoyable.
Domination cultures survive by turning violence into something people accept, consume, and cheer.
This is how cruelty becomes normal.
Not all at once — but through repetition, spectacle, and permission.
When cruelty is framed as “enforcement”.
When the suffering of others is made into a spectacle.
When silence is used as consent.
This isn’t new. The UK has done this before — from the hostile environment to the UK Border Force “reality” TV series in the late 2000s of the then Labour government. What’s different now is the scale, the speed, and the confidence.
Scapegoating is up.
Dehumanisation is routine.
Raids are daily.
Returns are rising.
Rights are being eroded.
And governments are boasting.
At the same time, we’re told there’s been a “U-turn” on digital IDs. But for undocumented people, nothing meaningful has changed. Digital right-to-work checks already exist for most migrants, and new ones are planned. People are still forced to survive while being denied basic rights. Exploitation continues in the shadows.
This is the hostile environment.
Here’s the truth we need to face:
The far right doesn’t win because it’s popular.
It wins because enough people either don’t or stop resisting.
Because outrage fades into apathy.
Because neutrality feels easier than involvement.
And that’s while the status quo (the government, in this case) enables it to grow, including through its policies, approaches and rhetoric.
And that is the turning point.
Change doesn’t come from better headlines or perfect leaders. The search for the “spotless” ally has held our movements back for too long. Change comes when people step closer — to each other, to responsibility, to collective action. When we work through differences. When we build relationships rooted in love, care and solidarity. When we act with people, not for them. Solidarity is unconditional — or it isn’t solidarity at all.
So this isn’t just an update. It’s an invitation.
To talk with others.
To organise locally and nationally.
To show up.
To help build real pathways to regularisation, dignity, and safety — and to end the hostile environment, together.
After normalisation comes a choice.
After apathy comes action.
We choose action.
We all have a role to play — big or small. Let’s support each other.
We’ll be sharing more ways to get involved and organise in the coming weeks through Regularise and the Migrant Workers’ Rights Coalition. History shows us again and again: lasting change comes from consistent, committed mass movements. Let’s build one!
In solidarity,
Regularise Team
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