UK introduces new law to "quickly" deport illegal entrants

MADRID, 7 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Minister of the Interior of the United Kingdom, Suella Braverman, has defended this Tuesday before Parliament a new law with which the Government wants to deport "quickly" those who arrive in British territory, even if this means undertaking expulsions before resolving an asylum request or deport migrants to third countries, such as Rwanda.

The main objective of the Executive is to stop the migratory flow in the English Channel, to which more than 45,000 arrivals were attributed in 2022. At least 44 people died in this area last year, while at least 13 have already died this year, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Braverman has advocated for "stopping the ships that are taking tens of thousands of people to the coasts", for which he has put on the table a law that worries organizations that defend Human Rights but that, according to London, he respects in all its variables International Law.

The United Kingdom will have the "duty" to expel those who try to access the country irregularly and will only allow those with a "real risk of serious and irreversible damage", minors or seriously ill to stay. The rest will be expelled with immediate effect, and not necessarily to their country of origin.

The new rule provides that, until expulsion, migrants can remain detained for up to 28 days without having to appear before a judge, while an annual quota will be established -yet to be determined- to limit the reception of refugees in the United Kingdom.

"For the Government, not responding to the waves of illegal migrants that cross our borders would be betraying the will of the people who have elected us," explained Braverman, who has nevertheless defended the country's commitment to welcome people fleeing areas in conflict like Ukraine or Afghanistan, reports the BBC.

The Labor Party fears that this new legislation will increase the immigration "chaos". "We need serious action to stop dangerous boat crossings (...), but today is like Groundhog Day," said opposition Yvette Cooper in the House of Commons.