It was on 25 May 2012 that, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Theresa May declared that her aim as home secretary “was to create here in Britain a really hostile environment for illegal migration”. In the decade since, under Ms May and her successors – Amber Rudd, Sajid Javid and Priti Patel – those two words, hostile environment, have been associated with a string of aggressive policies that have affected not only undocumented migrants but also those with the right to live and work in the UK.
The following year, vans emblazoned with "go home" prowled the streets, driving fear into the hearts of many.
