Illegal Migration Bill is an attempt to fix UK’s ‘Broken Asylum System’, says Home Office Minister
What is the Illegal Migration Bill?
First introduced on Tuesday 7th March in the House of Commons, where it was given its first reading, the act addresses diverse aspects regarding immigration control within the United Kingdom. It includes provisions for the orderly removal of individuals who have entered or arrived in the country in violation of immigration control.
And now
On the 10th May, Lord Murray of Blidworth, Home Office Minister, opened the second reading of the Illegal Migration Bill in the House of Lords.
He deems that the legislation isn’t an attempt to "stop" refugees, but it is an attempt to take power out of the hands of the "people smugglers" who profit and endanger the lives of others, as they cross the English Channel in small ‘flimsy’ boats, holding onto the promise of a better future. Approximately 300 migrants arriving in the UK via the channel crossings in 2018. In 2022, over 45,000 people made that same venture, many coming from France where they could have applied for asylum. It is a bill that is offering a "necessary, urgent and compassionate response".
The Archbishop of Canterbury believes while there must be a bill that reforms migration and puts an end to the ungodly trafficking, that the migration bill in its current state will leave the UK with many issues and challenges. He says that if amendments to the bill are not made then we will "fail to live up to our history".
It is "Morally Unacceptable"
Long-term solutions must be part of the alterations made to the bill, including plans made to "combat traffickers", and to work with "international partners". "There must be safe, legal routes put in place as soon as illegal or unsafe routes begin to be attacked. We cannot wait for the years that will take place before that happens."
The Archbishop of Canterbury agreed that the 1951 Refugee Convention is "outdated" and must be updated, just not "thrown out" altogether. The United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention was crafted for an era that is long in the past and could not have foreseen current causes have led to the global migration we are faced with today.
