2023-07-18 15:36:18
The British Parliament adopted on July 18 a controversial law against illegal immigration, which strongly restricts the right to asylum and which was criticized by the UN, which warned that it goes against international law on refugees.
First modification: 07/18/2023 – 15:36
3 min
The text is a key initiative for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Conservative), who has made fighting illegal immigration a priority and promised to “stop” migrant arrivals through the English Channel.
Migrants who arrive illegally on British territory will no longer be able to claim asylum in the country, according to the law.
In addition, the British government wants them to be quickly arrested and deported, either to their country of origin or to another state such as Rwanda, wherever they come from.
The immigration bill was blocked for weeks in Parliament as the House of Lords called for numerous amendments, to restrict the detention of minors and to prevent forms of modern slavery.
It was adopted Tuesday morning and will have to be ratified by King Carlos III, a formality.
The UN condemned the law, saying it is “in contradiction” with the UK’s obligations under international human rights and refugee law.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks to journalists on the sidelines of a visit to a London school, on July 17, 2023 © Alberto Pezzali / POOL/AFP
The text will have “profound consequences for people who need international protection,” the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, denounced in a joint statement.
Migrants will have “no guarantee of being able to benefit from protection in the country” to which they will be expelled, denounced the UN.
According to the United Nations, the law “creates new, widespread powers of arrest, with limited judicial control.”
“skip the line”
In 2022, more than 45,000 migrants crossed the English Channel, mostly from France, in small boats, a record. So far this year, more than 13,000 have done so. In the first quarter, the majority were Afghans.
The government accuses irregular migrants of “skipping the waiting line” to the detriment of those who arrive in the country through “safe” or legal channels.
However, “most people fleeing war or persecution do not have access to documents such as passports or visas,” the UN responds. “Safe or ‘legal’ pathways are rarely available to these people.”
The ‘Bibby Stockholm’ pontoon in dry dock for renovation, in Falmouth, southern England © Ben Stansall / AFP
Last year the UK reached an agreement with Rwanda to send irregular migrants there, but so far no expulsions have taken place. The first flight under this pact, scheduled for June 2022, was canceled following a decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
At the end of June, the court declared the project illegal, but the government announced that it appealed the ruling.
The spiritual head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who is also a member of the House of Lords, noted that “it is not [ve] how” this law will be able to end the arrivals of migrant boats. “I have not heard anything that has convinced me,” he declared during the debates.
On the other hand, some 500 asylum seekers will be installed on a pontoon, moored in an English port, to reduce hotel accommodation costs.
The barge, named “Bibby Stockholm”, arrived at the port of Portland in southern England on Tuesday. She was heavily criticized by NGOs, who described her as a “prison ship”.
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