UNITED KINGDOM: British Interior Minister Suella Braverman will propose new plans on Tuesday for new policies that could potentially ban migrants who cross into the United Kingdom through the English Channel from gaining asylum, a government source has speculated.
The government has been under immense pressure to deal with the rising numbers of migrant populations who make the perilous journey, braving strong waters to seek asylum despite facing threats of deportation.
The government has been trying its utmost to deal with the serious matter of deportation, especially for those arriving illegally in Rwanda.
According to government statistics, nearly 30,000 people have made the dangerous journey in small vessels this year already, already surpassing last year’s record. Government officials speculate the numbers could go up to 60,000 by the end of this year.
Braverman will use her authority and speech to the governing Conservative Party’s annual conference to propose new legislative powers so the government can deport those who come to Britain illegally.
“It’s right that we extend the hand of friendship to those in genuine need,” Braverman will say, according to advance extracts.
“Parts of the system aren’t delivering. We need to end the abuse of the rules and cut down on those numbers that aren’t meeting the needs of our economy.”
The source said that the new powers would go further than existing legislation and were designed to create a blanket ban on anyone who enters Britain illegally, including on small boats across the Channel, from claiming refuge.
The Home Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before Liz Truss’ new government, the Johnson administration had hoped that a plan to deport those who arrived illegally to Rwanda would be a warning signal to those still travelling to the UK in small dinghies and boats, but numbers hit a record high over the summer.
The first planned deportation flight in June was blocked by a last-minute injunction from the European Court of Human Rights.
Meanwhile, the U.N. refugee chief has condemned the policy of deportation to Rwanda, calling it “catastrophic”, while the entire leadership of the Church of England has slammed the move by describing it as immoral and shameful.
Braverman said on Tuesday that she intends to ensure Britain’s policy on illegal immigration cannot be “derailed by abuse of modern slavery laws, the Human Rights Act or the European Court of Human Rights“, her team said.
The government intends to stop migrants from using slavery laws to avoid deportation.
Braverman, whose parents migrated to Britain in the 1960s from Kenya and Mauritius, will argue in her speech that the government will focus on helping put those genuine asylum seekers in distress who are equipped with proper documentation. But she will say that those who abuse the laws to gain access into Britain will be duly dismissed.
The 42-year-old Braverman, herself the daughter of immigrant parents, has recently been in hot waters after suggesting that too many “low-skilled” migrants were entering the United Kingdom, subtly implying that the migrant workforce is a taint on British society.
Moreover, she also highlighted that the UK had a large number of students coming into the country, which already had a large number of dependents.
Braverman, who is of Indian origin herself, said new Prime Minister Liz Truss’ government aimed to align with the 2019 election pledge to lower net migration in an interview on Saturday, ahead of the ruling Conservative Party’s annual conference.
“What we’ve got is too many low-skilled workers coming into this country,“she said. “We’ve also got a very high number of students coming into this country and we’ve got a high number of dependents.”
“Those people are coming here, they’re not necessarily working or they’re working in low-skilled jobs, and they’re not contributing to growing our economy,” she added.
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