Britain Rejects EU Criticism of Proposed New Illegal Immigration Bill

Some might argue that America could use an immigration bill like this: Britain’s new illegal migration bill would see would-be migrants who cross the English Channel from France illegally by means of small boats detained and removed to another country, banned from re-entering the United Kingdom in the future, and barred from applying for British citizenship. The legislation, which will have a second reading in the House of Commons on Monday, comes amid a rising tide of would-be migrants making the dangerous crossing. The British home secretary, Suella Braverman, has said such arrivals will be “swiftly removed.” That has already prompted outcry both within Britain and from the EU, but Prime Minister Sunak has made his unyielding position crystal clear. Mr. Sunak stated via social media late Wednesday night, “If you come to the UK illegally, you can’t claim asylum, you can’t benefit from our modern slavery protections, you can’t make spurious human rights claims, and you can’t stay.”Mr. Sunak on Friday is set to travel to Paris for a U.K.-France summit at which he is likely to announce an agreement with President Macron for increased bilateral cooperation to crack down on illegal immigration. Speaking at London, he said, “I was really pleased at the end of last year that we managed to announce the largest ever small-boats deal with France, which led to a 40 percent increase of patrols on French beaches and increased coordination between our teams.”According to Britain’s Home Office, last year more than 89,000 people claimed asylum in the United Kingdom, a figure that is more than double the number in pre-pandemic years. The latest Home Office data show that 2,953 have breached British borders by arriving illegally on British beaches this year via small boats.Also in the eye of the storm is Ms. Braverman, who has hit back at the EU commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, over her criticism that the new bill could be unlawful. Ms. Braverman reportedly told Ms. Johansson in no uncertain terms that Britain is “free to determine our own borders and migration policy” because it is no longer a member of the EU, adding that “we believe our measures to be lawful.”What is less certain is how much the bill, if passed, would actually do to stem the flow of migrants who undertake the risky Channel crossing. That is even if London succeeds in securing the participation of more French patrol boats to break up migrant crossing gangs on the beaches of northern France. The deal with the French to which Mr. Sunak alluded notwithstanding — which cost a reported $75 million — migrants determined to reach British shores will likely be little deterred.In addition to Brussels, Britain’s own opposition Labor party has also come down against the proposed bill. It claims that “because the Conservatives have failed to negotiate any returns agreements with safe third countries, other than Rwanda which can only take 200-300 people and where the agreement is not currently operational, they will be stuck in permanent taxpayer-funded accommodation,” potentially at a cost of an average of the equivalent of $178 per night.Labour added that “the lack of returns agreements means there is no realistic prospect of removing the vast majority of asylum-seekers from countries like Afghanistan, Syria, and Eritrea who will have passed through France and other countries.”Ms. Braverman has countered that the “wave” of illegal immigrants is costing taxpayers the equivalent of more than $7 million per day. In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, she said the United Kingdom’s asylum system has been “overwhelmed” by the volume of illegal arrivals and warned that Britain has “seen a 500 percent increase in small boats crossings in two years.”The evolution of the legislation and cooperation between Britain and France will be closely watched by leaders in southern Europe, where the problem of illegal immigration is both more acute and, because of geography, more complicated. Countries with long Mediterranean coastlines and islands like Italy are generally much more exposed to illegal immigration than Britain. Last month a migrant shipwreck at Crotone in southern Italy led to the deaths of 67 people. Following that disaster, Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, urged EU leaders to do more to put a stop to illegal immigration. With respect to the increased cooperation with Britain, it would appear that Mr. Macron is, if only indirectly, heeding that call.

Britain Rejects EU Criticism of Proposed New Illegal Immigration Bill

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