London’s latest illegal immigration scheme clashes with human rights. Faced with the British desire to prevent migrants arriving by the English Channel from seeking asylum in the United Kingdom and deporting them “within weeks”, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said Wednesday “deeply worried”.
“Such a blanket ban preventing people from seeking asylum and other forms of international protection in the UK would conflict with the UK’s human rights and refugee law obligations,” Volker said. Türk in a written statement.
“The legislation also raises several specific human rights issues, including the violation of the right to individual scrutiny and the prohibition of refoulement and collective expulsions, as well as the arbitrary detention of immigrants,” he added.
Contrary to international law
With this bill, the British government wants to try to combat the sharp increase in the arrival of illegal migrants by the English Channel on small boats, one of the main promises of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Volker Türk said he was “deeply concerned by this legislation which would allow the UK authorities to detain and deport all persons who enter the UK using small craft to cross the English Channel, to ban them from re-entering in the UK and apply for British citizenship”. “All people forced to leave their country of origin in search of safety and dignity abroad are entitled to full respect for their human rights, regardless of their migratory status or their mode of arrival”, underlined the High Commissioner.
The text has been strongly criticized by refugee aid associations, who believe that it is contrary to international law. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has accused the British government of wanting to “end the right of asylum” in the country.