The British government wants to stop the entry of refugees.
(Photo: AP)
London The British government wants to draconically tighten its immigration laws in order to stop the illegal entry of refugees via the English Channel. Interior Minister Suella Braverman said the government was prepared to “reach the limits of international law” to resolve the current crisis. The time for “half-hearted measures” is over.
Last year, more than 45,000 refugees arrived in Britain in small boats. In 2018 there were only about 300.
The Conservative politician introduced a bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday that would oblige the government to detain most illegal boat people for up to 28 days without a hearing and to deport them to a safe third country like Rwanda “as soon as reasonably possible”. The only exceptions are minors and particularly vulnerable people.
The right of asylum for illegally entering refugees is thus almost abolished. Braverman announced an annual cap for legally entering migrants.
The government in London is under enormous domestic pressure on the asylum issue. According to opinion polls, illegal immigration is the most pressing problem for the British after the economic crisis and the misery in the state health system. Bringing down immigration figures was also one of the most important arguments for Brexit supporters to leave the EU.
Great Britain wants to deport people to Rwanda, but the legal hurdles are high
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had promised his compatriots at the beginning of the year that he would stop the refugee boats on the British coast. In his words, the new law is “a clear signal that anyone who comes to this country illegally will be deported quickly”.
Britain had already signed an agreement with Rwanda to take in refugees last year. However, the plan encountered considerable legal hurdles, so that to date not a single migrant has been flown to the African country. The new law could also contradict the UN Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Sunak has not ruled out the possibility of withdrawing Britain’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights if necessary in order to carry out his plans. Such a move could provoke a new conflict with the European Union.
In particular, the fact that the “duty to deport” is to take precedence over a right to a hearing for political asylum is already leading to protests from human rights organizations. “The government’s flawed legislation will not stop the boats, but will result in tens of thousands being detained at enormous cost,” said Enver Solomon, chief executive of the UK organization Refugee Council.
Braverman introduced a new law against illegal immigrants in London on Tuesday.
(Photo: AP)
Opposition leader Keir Starmer of the Labor Party called the government’s plans “unworkable”. Braverman then accused the opposition of “betraying hard-working Britons,” suggesting the ruling Tories are planning to make the refugee crisis a campaign issue for next year’s general election, which is expected to be held.
However, Sunak and Braverman’s move not only encountered legal and political resistance, but also practical hurdles. The way to Rwanda is currently blocked by the courts, and so far there is no other safe third country for deportation, nor is there a repatriation agreement with neighboring European countries. It is also unclear where the imprisoned refugees are to be accommodated until they are deported. In the discussion are former barracks.
France should help the British
The British Prime Minister is hoping for more support from France in particular in controlling the French coast, from where most refugee boats set off on their dangerous Channel crossing. After Sunak was able to settle the dispute with the EU over Northern Ireland last week, he is now counting on French President Emmanuel Macron to come to his aid at the British-French summit in Paris on Friday.
The British are already transferring around 67 million euros a year to Paris so that more French border guards can prevent refugees from continuing their journey to Great Britain. According to the Home Secretary, the asylum procedures cost the British state more than three billion euros a year.
The majority of asylum seekers in Britain last year came from Albania, followed by refugees from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. More than 3,000 people have come to Great Britain by boat this year. In November 2021, 31 people drowned on the crossing after their boat capsized.
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