United Kingdom: A new law has been proposed in the United Kingdom to remove channel migrants, ban their future re-entry, and prevent them from applying for British citizenship. The proposed measures will be applied to anyone arriving on UK shores in a small boat.
The Refugee Council criticised the plans and remarked that thousands of people will be left “permanently in limbo” as a result.
The new legislation will require the home secretary to remove anyone arriving on a small boat to Rwanda or a “safe” third country “as soon as reasonably practicable” and ban them from returning permanently.
The government has long been trying to tackle the rise in the number of asylum seekers making the dangerous crossing from France to the UK.
The Refugee Council accused ministers of shattering the UK’s long-standing commitment under the UN Convention to give people a fair hearing regardless of how they get to the UK.
The group’s CEO, Mr. Enver Solomon, observed that the “flawed” legislation would not stop the boats but result in tens of thousands of people being locked up in detention at a huge cost, permanently in limbo, and treated as criminals simply for seeking refuge.
“It’s unworkable, costly, and won’t stop the boats,” Mr. Solomon commented.
The new bill will be published ahead of a key summit between Prime Minister Mr. Rishi Sunak and French President Mr. Emmanuel Macron. According to reports, Mr. Sunak will seek a ‘substantial’ increase in beach patrols to stop migrants from leaving French shores.