Britain’s asylum ban ‘not humane’
A UK draft law aimed at stopping migrants entering illegally on small boats will amount to an asylum ban, the UN warned, calling for “more humane” solutions instead.
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it was “profoundly concerned” by plans that would give the British interior minister a new legal duty to deport all migrants entering illegally, such as those crossing the Channel from France in inflatable boats.
“The legislation, if passed, would amount to an asylum ban – extinguishing the right to seek refugee protection in the United Kingdom for those who arrive irregularly, no matter how genuine and compelling their claim may be, and with no consideration of their individual circumstances,” the agency said.
Under the draft law, which will be retrospective to Tuesday, anyone arriving illegally in the UK will not be able to claim asylum, said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who had pledged to “take back control of our borders”.
“If you come here illegally, you can’t claim asylum. You can’t benefit from our modern slavery protections. You can’t make spurious human rights claims and you can’t stay.
“We will detain those who come here illegally and then remove them in weeks, either (back) to their own country, if it is safe to do so, or to a safe third country like Rwanda and once you are removed, you will be banned – as you are in America and Australia – from ever re-entering our country.”
But the UNHCR said the bill would deny protection to asylum-seekers who needed safety and would “even deny them the opportunity to put forward their case – a breach of the Refugee Convention”.
“Most people fleeing war and persecution are simply unable to access the required passports and visas. There are no safe and ‘legal’ routes available to them,” UNHCR said.
“Denying them access to asylum on this basis undermines the very purpose for which the Refugee Convention was established.”