Home Minister Priti Patel on Tuesday announced “the most drastic changes in the structure of the broken asylum for decades.”
Following the concluding remarks of Brexit and the independence movement, this is the next step in sealing the United Kingdom. “Restrict our borders” was one of the promises made when leaving the EU. Aid agencies are cautious.
Life sentence for kidnappers, charges of “knowingly” entering the country illegally and reception centers abroad: Patel’s law makes it very difficult for immigrants to enter the country – and stay there. “For a long time our broken asylum system has been filled with the pockets of horrific criminal gangs that commit fraud,” Patel said. “This is not fair to vulnerable people who need protection or to the British public who pay for it. It’s time to act. “
In the neighboring European Union, plans to set up asylum centers in third countries will spark debate. Denmark’s products have recently been severely criticized by the European Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In principle, however, EU migration policy for many years has focused primarily on reducing the number of visitors through agreements with countries for better security of external borders or transport. Attempts to create a system for the distribution of refugees have still failed.
Patel defends his law as “tough but fair”. But the criticism is sharp. Steve Waltz-Symonds of Amnesty International warned that the bill would undermine the right to asylum worldwide. Through this plan, London is breaking federal agreements such as the Refugee Conference. “This ruthless and deeply unjust law will embarrass Britain’s international position.”
The Refugee Council estimates that the 9,000 people currently accepted as refugees will not get a chance under the new rules – because they entered “illegally”. The head of the organization, Enver Solomon, warned that the “anti-refugee law” would turn many immigrants into criminals who could face up to years in prison.
The obvious reason for the radical reform is the increasing number of people coming illegally through the English Channel. In June it was over 2000 – a monthly record according to the BBC. They often use rubber boats and have to be rescued from distress by rescue workers.
Others run the risk of getting stuck in truck trailers. Life-threatening route: In October 2019, police found 49 Vietnamese stranded together in a confined space – they suffocated. In Dover, the port city where Colois Hovercraft land is located, nationalists continue to oppose immigration.
But experts point out that the problem is deep. The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson is keen to close the borders. EU citizens have also realized this since Brexit – they now need a visa to live or work in Great Britain. In the first quarter of 2021 alone, 3,294 EU citizens were barred from entering the UK – six times more than in the same period last year. Home Minister Patel has always insisted that new migration rules create talent. But trade unions warn of a significant shortage of skilled workers.
Patel is the face of a tough trend. Anyone who observes her can get the impression that she is personally experiencing this process. Ahead of the 2019 parliamentary elections, Patel once said that his “special responsibility” as home minister was to “end the freedom of the people once and for all.”
As the daughter of Indian parents who emigrated from Uganda decades ago, hard work is the right force for her Conservative party when it comes to immigration. The 49-year-old was effectively photographed by the media during a police operation against the kidnappers. Again and again he cites Australia as a role model. Accordingly, it is launching plans to house asylum seekers far away from the British border, as Australia does in the Pacific state of Nuru; In Patel it is the distant Atlantic Island Ascension.
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