The lower house of parliament recently approved a new illegal migration bill aimed at denying entry to asylum seekers who arrive in small boats through the channel. This was not done before the government accepted the amendments proposed by rebel Conservatives.
What’s important to note here is that stopping illegal migrants from entering the UK in small boats has become a top priority for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The Illegal Migration Bill means individuals who arrive in small boats will not be able to claim asylum. Instead, they will be deported to their home country or safe third countries.
Interestingly, the House of Commons approved the bill by 289 votes to 230. Now, it has been passed to the House of Lords, which could either amend or delay it.
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick told parliament before the vote that the country’s immigration system is continuously undermined by illegal migration.
Therefore, stopping the boats should be prioritized to strengthen border security with the help of this bill.
On the other hand, some charitable organizations and critics regarded the bill as impractical while stating that it would take access away from thousands of genuine refugees.
Furthermore, the government simply agreed to different amendments to satisfy some of its own lawmakers, such as committing to come up with safe and legal routes for asylum seekers to migrate to the UK and clearly explaining the circumstances in which unaccompanied children would be denied entry and deported.
However, some government amendments added strictness to the law, making it challenging for deported individuals to obtain a waiver of their ban on re-entry or obtaining British citizenship. Plus, it also restricted people from delaying their deportation to a third country because of serious and irreversible harm.
It should be noted that the government withdrew the amendments to take away the authority to deport children before they turn 18 and exempt victims of unlawful exploitation in the UK from deportation proposed by Conservative lawmakers.
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