Group photo at the end of the session with NCET, Home of Office, and the community led by Mosaic Foundation.
On 26 September 2025, the Mosaic Foundation—working in collaboration with several NGOs—facilitated a community engagement session in partnership with the UK Home Office. Led by the National Community Engagement Team (NCET), a branch of Immigration Enforcement, the event aimed to foster direct dialogue with diverse communities across the UK.
The session focused on issues of integration and border security, with particular emphasis on community perspectives surrounding the small boats crisis and how best to address its root causes.
Understanding NCET’s Role
NCET plays a strategic role in building public confidence in the immigration system. It works closely with community leaders and organisations to strengthen relationships, raise awareness of exploitation, human trafficking, modern slavery, and organised immigration crime, and promote compliance with immigration rules.
Home Office, NCET staff presenting their mission to the community.
Organisations like Mosaic—whose mandate includes refugee and migrant integration—serve as vital conduits for NCET to engage directly with communities. Through Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) teams, the Home Office connects with individuals in trusted settings, offering support to those without lawful status to explore options for remaining in the UK or voluntary return.
While views on immigration often differ across communities, NCET demonstrates the potential to bridge these perspectives, fostering shared understanding and collective action.
NCET’s core activities include:
- Community Trust & Engagement: Building relationships in safe, non-enforcement environments to address misconceptions about the Home Office.
- Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with community leaders and organisations to promote key messages on compliance and safeguarding.
- Support & Signposting: Providing tailored advice, including to those disconnected from the immigration system.
As a partner of the Home Office and NCET, a representative of the Migrant Line was also present in the event. Mosaic Foundation welcomed the Migrant Line and suggested possible collaboration between the two organisations.
Border Security Command Pilot: Listening to Communities
The Border Security Command is currently conducting a pilot project through NCET to better understand the push and pull factors driving the rise in small boat crossings. Central to this effort is direct engagement with communities through listening circles designed to gather insights and sentiment.
Mosaic at the Intersection of Policy and Community
Mosaic invited refugees and migrants from Afghanistan’s diverse communities, alongside charity workers, civil society activists, and community leaders, to participate in the listening circle. The aim was to help the Border Security Command understand the small boats issue from the perspective of those most affected.
Participants were divided into two large groups to discuss different dimensions of the crisis. Each group shared its reflections, while NCET officers chaired the sessions to gain first-hand insights.
Key Messages from the Listening Circle
The concluding points from the discussions were as follows:
- Root Causes Must Be Addressed: a terrorist group that rose to power through regional and global geopolitical dynamics has taken hostage the people of Afghanistan. Tackling the small boats issue requires addressing these root causes.
- International Cooperation Is Essential: The UK must work with European and Western allies to support the people of Afghanistan in restoring a democratic and constitutional order.
- Evacuation Transparency Is Needed: Since the fall of the republic on 15 August 2021, many allies of the West remain stranded in Afghanistan, while some Taliban sympathisers may have been evacuated. A formal inquiry into the evacuation process is necessary.
- Reconsidering Engagement Policy: The UK’s policy of encouraging civil society and political groups to engage with the Taliban is deeply flawed and must be reassessed.
- Solutions Lie Beyond the Shoreline: The small boats crisis cannot be resolved solely at the borders of the UK or Europe—it must be tackled at its source.
Socialisation & Refreshments
At the end of the event, there was an opportunity for the participants to socialise and network, encouraged by Mosaic Foundation and other organisations involved in at the event.
Mosaic’s social media post about the event: https://x.com/MosaicGFdn/status/1970809110477074504