Boris Johnson’s government continues to disguise itself under its supposed “regained freedom” after Brexit, a tightening of immigration policy. Interior Minister Priti Patel presented a new plan on Wednesday, officially aimed at combating illegal human transport networks, which pose greater difficulties for asylum seekers. Those who enter the UK illegally and apply for refugee status will be held indefinitely in ‘reception centers’ and will not have access to the official aid that currently exists.
“For the first time, entering the UK legally or illegally will have an impact on the asylum application process and even on the state itself if the application is granted,” Patel announced in the House of Commons. “Those whose application is granted despite having entered by illegal means, will receive temporary protection, instead of the automatic right of residence. Their situation will be reviewed periodically and they may be expelled from the country, their rights to family reunification will be limited and they will not have access to public aid except in cases of extreme poverty ”, explained the minister.
The strong new policy announced by Downing Street, which is still a proposal in consultation before becoming a bill, has drawn unanimous criticism from opposition parties and human rights organizations. “There is a risk that the situation for human trafficking victims will worsen because it makes it difficult for them to ask for help in the UK,” said Nick Thomas-Symonds, a spokesman for the Home Office of Labor.
The conservative executive criticizes in his proposal the attitude of other European countries, in particular France, noting that “many asylum seekers come to the United Kingdom through Europe, and move to safe countries where they could and should have requested this right, before to decide to do it on British soil ”. Neither the 1951 Refugee Convention nor the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees do not oblige applicants for this right to do so in the first country whenever possible, as there may be other legitimate reasons, such as family ties, for choose another destination state. The British director of the British NGO Council for Refugees, Enver Solomon, accused the Johnson government of “trying to make an unfair difference between the refugees who deserve it and those who do not deserve it.”
Throughout 2020, according to official data, some 8,500 people reached the British coast in small boats, through the English Channel. At the end of 2019, 39 citizens of Vietnamese origin were abandoned by an Irish Romanian gang in a freezer truck in the town of Grays. They all died of suffocation.
Minister Patel, considered one of the toughest of the current conservative government, indicated that the new plan will modify current legislation that expressly prohibits expulsion from the country during the asylum process. Under the new plan, the process is possible outside of British territory. The minister thus recognized the possibility, not yet detailed, of establishing detention centers outside the borders. Some outlets have suggested, after some of the content of the plan was leaked, that Gibraltar could become a reception point. Gibraltar authorities soon denied that possibility.
To counter proposals to toughen the law, Patel promised a faster process for those seeking asylum after legally entering the UK. “We will continue to promote the search for asylum by safe and legal means and we will reinforce our support with the offer of a complete package of integration aid for those who arrive in this way to our country, as well as with an indefinite residence permit.” , promised the minister. During 2019, the UK processed around 35,000 new asylum applications. In addition to those that are still pending resolution, there are some 109,000 people who aspire to refugee status. Most of the candidates came from Iran, Iraq and Albania.
Patel’s intention to count on the collaboration of EU countries to curb the entry of immigrants runs into relationships that are currently under considerable strain, after the bitter Brexit process. The UK aspires to reach new bilateral agreements because it has been left out of the coordinated response to irregular immigration from Brussels. “We regain control of our legal immigration system by ending freedom of movement [que suponía la pertenencia a la UE]Patel proclaimed once more. The first step promoted by his department was to establish a new point system to enter the country. Under the new rule, EU citizens must meet the same criteria as anyone else in the world if they want to work or live in the UK. A system that rewards the candidate’s knowledge of English or educational and work skills. The Johnson administration has finally succeeded in stopping the free flow of citizens from EU countries for which it now claims its “moral obligation” to help combat irregular immigration.
Faster ejections
The New Immigration Plan presented by the Boris Johnson government expresses its frustration with a legal guarantee system that delays deportations ‘sine die’. With the proposals released on Wednesday, the expulsion process of those who saw their asylum application denied will be accelerated. A shorter time, in which the public aid that they may be receiving will be eliminated. The draft of the Ministry of the Interior also suggests a tightening of the visa policy in relation to countries that do not collaborate in the return of their nationals. The Johnson government estimates that 42,000 people remain on British soil, despite being denied refugee status.
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