Current:Home > FinanceU.K. plan to cut asylum seeker "illegal arrivals" draws U.N. rebuke as critics call it "morally repugnant" -ProsperityStream Academy
U.K. plan to cut asylum seeker "illegal arrivals" draws U.N. rebuke as critics call it "morally repugnant"
View
Date:2025-04-16 07:14:46
London — The U.K. government has proposed new legislation aimed at stopping migrants and asylum-seekers from entering the country without prior permission. The bill introduced Tuesday by the government in the House of Commons has been called "profoundly concerning" by the United Nations refugee agency and "morally bankrupt" by opposition lawmakers.
If passed, the legislation would mandate the deportation of migrants or asylum-seekers who enter the U.K. irregularly, such as on small boats across the English Channel from France, and ban them from returning to the country or applying for British citizenship.
- At least 4 killed as boat capsizes in frigid waters between France and U.K.
Alongside the legislation, U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman included a letter saying there was more than a 50% chance that the law would be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, which the U.K. signed in 1951, CBS News partner network BBC News reported.
"For a government not to respond to waves of illegal arrivals breaching our borders would be to betray the will of the people we are elected to serve," Braverman said Tuesday. "Unless we act today, the problem will be worse tomorrow."
There has been a massive increase in boat crossings to the U.K.over the past five years. In 2018, there were 300 reported boat crossings, while in 2022, some 45,000 of the risky crossings were reported, according to the BBC.
- U.K. to start controversial program flying asylum-seekers to Rwanda
Critics say the government's plans are unworkable, do not respect international obligations toward refugees, and fail to address problems in the existing asylum system, including extremely long processing times.
Caroline Lucas, a member of Parliament from the Green Party, described the bill as "morally repugnant" and said alternative legal routes to claiming asylum in the U.K. "barely exist" or "don't function."
The executive director of the refugee charity International Rescue Committee UK, Laura Kyrke-Smith, said there was "not a shred of compassion for the people at the heart of this Bill," adding that there were more effective and compassionate alternatives.
"First, expand safe routes for those who need them," Kyrke-Smith said. "Second, fix the asylum system to ensure that claims are heard fairly and decisions are made quickly. Third, double down on diplomatic and humanitarian engagement to alleviate the crises that cause people to flee in the first place."
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, also spoke out against the bill Tuesday, saying it was "profoundly concerned."
"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," UNHCR said. "The effect of the bill (in this form) would be to deny protection to many asylum-seekers in need of safety and protection, and even deny them the opportunity to put forward their case. This would be a clear breach of the Refugee Convention and would undermine a longstanding, humanitarian tradition of which the British people are rightly proud."
UNHCR said the U.K. Home Office's own data showed the majority of people who make it into the country on small boats would be accepted as refugees under its own policies if their claims were processed.
"Branding refugees as undeserving based on mode of arrival distorts these fundamental facts," UNHCR said, urging the U.K. government "to reconsider the Bill and instead pursue more humane and practical policy solutions."
Prominent British sports commentator and TV personality Gary Lineker drew a backlash Wednesday after comparing the language in the bill to that of Nazi-era Germany.
"There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s," Lineker said in a tweet.
While he doesn't work in its news department, Lineker's long-time position at the publicly-funded BBC brought scrutiny on his comments as a potential violation of the organization's impartiality guidelines.
He thanked his supporters on Wednesday and said he would "continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that have no voice."
- In:
- Immigration
- Britain
- Refugee
- Migrants
- United Kingdom
Haley Ott is an international reporter for CBS News based in London.
TwitterveryGood! (687)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Howard University is making history as the first HBCU to take part in a figure skating competition
- How the Search for 11-Year-Old Audrii Cunningham Turned Into a Devastating Murder Case
- Jury convicts Southern California socialite in 2020 hit-and-run deaths of two young brothers
- USA men's volleyball mourns chance at gold after losing 5-set thriller, will go for bronze
- NCAA president says Congress must act to preserve sports at colleges that can’t pay athletes
- Google strikes $60 million deal with Reddit, allowing search giant to train AI models on human posts
- Don't screw it up WWE: Women's championship matches need to main event WrestleMania 40
- Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
- Florida refuses to bar unvaccinated students from school suffering a measles outbreak
Ranking
- 9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in upheaval after surprise order by US defense chief
- US appeals court panel declines to delay execution of one of longest-serving death-row inmates
- Chicago Bears great Steve McMichael returns home after more than a week in hospital
- GM suspends sales of Chevy Blazer EV due to quality issues
- Big Lots store closures could exceed 300 nationwide, discount chain reveals in filing
- What Sets the SAG Awards Apart From the Rest
- Biden tells governors he’s eyeing executive action on immigration, seems ‘frustrated’ with lawyers
- Jury finds Wayne LaPierre, NRA liable in corruption civil case
Recommendation
US auto safety agency seeks information from Tesla on fatal Cybertruck crash and fire in Texas
Blake Lively Reveals Rule She and Ryan Reynolds Made Early on in Their Relationship
Two children die after hillside collapses near Shasta Dam in California, police say
GM suspends sales of Chevy Blazer EV due to quality issues
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
The SAG Awards will stream Saturday live on Netflix. Here’s what to know
Stained glass window showing dark-skinned Jesus Christ heading to Memphis museum
The Second City, named for its Chicago location, opens an outpost in New York