Sioned Williams says actions of ICE increase need for a Wales Human Rights Law

“A Human Rights Bill for Wales would check the growing movement that seeks to redraw the boundaries of who deserves dignity and protection” – Sioned Williams MS

Sioned Williams MS took a legislative proposal to the Senedd for a Wales Human Rights Bill (Wednesday 11 February) which was passed by 38 votes to 13, and was supported by the Welsh Government.  

The proposed Bill would embed international human rights in Welsh law so that they are binding on Welsh Ministers and public authorities. 

Citing news from the United States of America, where protestors have been arrested and even killed by ICE agents, Ms Williams warns against a “powerful and co-ordinated movement” which she says is “seeking to weaken human rights protections, to redraw the boundaries of who deserves dignity, and to decide whose lives, bodies, and freedoms are worthy of protection.” 

In her proposal to the Senedd, Sioned Williams MS alluded to examples closer to home, such as those detailed in a recent Welsh Government report, which described the detention and hospitalisation of people with learning disabilities and autistic people as a human rights scandal. 

Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru Member of Senedd for South Wales West, and Chair of the Senedd Cross party Group on Human Rights, said: 

“It’s not enough to say that human rights are already regarded in Wales, when they’re not enforceable. The Stolen Lives Campaign has shown quite clearly that for too many people with learning disabilities and autistic people, their rights are being breached, right here in Wales.  

“The report of the Cross Party Group on Human Rights found that disabled people continue to face systemic barriers to independent living, education, and healthcare; women remain disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, poverty, and health inequality; structural racism continues to shape access to housing, employment, healthcare and justice and refugees and asylum seekers are unable to exercise even basic rights due to the collapse of legal aid and increasingly hostile systems. Experts who gave evidnec to that report agree that these can all be better addressed if key international treaties are brought into Welsh law.  

“A Human Rights Bill for Wales would ensure Ministers and public bodies are bound by law to uphold the human rights of civilians, it would improve accountability and crucially, it would make our rights clearer and more accessible.  

“I asked the Senedd something fundamental: to agree on whether we believe human rights in Wales should be real, enforceable protections, or simply aspirations expressed in policy documents and speeches. I’m glad the Senedd voted in favour of my proposal for a Human Rights Bill for Wales.” 

Sioned Williams is currently the Chair of the Cross Party Group on Human Rights, which published a report “Progress on Human Rights in Wales” in November 2025

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This story was also covered by the following news outlets:

Swansea Bay News: Call for new Human Rights law in Wales amid fears of US‑style crackdown

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