sunak and immigration | Opinion

Posted On: July 20, 2023

Between satisfying the hard wing of his party in responding to illegal immigration, or ensuring respect for international law and Britain’s prestige in terms of human rights, Rishi Sunak has chosen the first option. The Conservative government has managed to overcome the last obstacle in the parliamentary process and the new Illegal Immigration Act was finally approved on Tuesday. A group of representatives from both parties and from the independent affiliate of the House of Lords tried to the end to soften the very harsh legal text with their amendments, but Downing Street imposed voting discipline to reject most of them.

Almost all humanitarian organizations, and the Anglican Church itself, have expressed their firm rejection of “morally unacceptable” laws which, in the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, are practically impossible to comply with and almost certainly contravene international law or treaties. . signed by the UK, such as the European Convention on Human Rights. The law imposes an inalienable “duty” on the serving Minister of the Interior —and therefore shifts his mandate to that of an individual political responsibility—, obliging him to deport all persons who have entered the country irregularly. The Text and Government prefer to use the term “illegal” to refer to these immigrants, contrary to the recommendations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

With the approval of the new regulations, no one who has arrived in the UK via these routes – in particular, crossing the treacherous waters of the English Channel – will be able to begin the asylum application process. You will be immediately deported to your home country or to a third party deemed safe by the UK Government. Currently, the only third destination Downing Street is considering is Rwanda, and neither Sunak nor his team have given up on this goal, despite the fact that the British justice system has declared the African country’s choice illegal.

An image of the British government’s frustration and confusion in tackling the migration crisis is given by this week’s arrival off the coast of Dover, finally, from aunt stockholm, a strange and gigantic ship described as a “floating prison” by humanitarian organizations, in which Sunak intends to house half a thousand male immigrants. Two other such vessels have been contracted. Conservative executives justify the action on the need to cut costs. Around 160,000 people are waiting in the UK today to process their asylum claims. The accommodation of many of them, in hotels across the country, amounts to more than six million euros a day, according to the UK Home Office.

This diabolical solution of a floating prison is clearly eroding the country’s international reputation. The reality is that the Conservative government has fallen victim to the Brexit promises —take back controlcontrol the borders again—and the consequences. During negotiations to leave the EU, London did not want to include the issue of asylum, despite the fact that many illegal immigrants came to Great Britain from the continent. Currently the UK does not even have a bilateral agreement on migration with any European country, as this is only negotiable with Brussels. Desperation has led Sunak to push international legality to an intolerable limit.