The Government of Boris Johnson toughens the conditions for the reception of refugees

The police detained an immigrant in Dover (United Kingdom) this Wednesday. DPA via Europa Press / Europa Press

The government of Boris Johnson continues to disguise under its so-called “regained freedom”, after Brexit, a tightening of immigration policy.

The Interior Minister, Priti Patel, presented a new plan on Wednesday, officially aimed at combating illegal human transport networks, which imposes greater difficulties on asylum seekers.

Those who enter the UK illegally and claim refugee status will be held indefinitely in "reception centers" and will not have access to the official aid that exists today.

"For the first time, entering the UK legally or illegally will have an impact on the asylum application process, and even on the status itself if the request is granted," Patel announced before the House of Commons.

“Those whose application is granted despite having entered through illegal means will receive a temporary protected status, instead of an automatic right of residence.

Their situation will be reviewed on a regular basis and they may be expelled from the country, their rights to family reunion will be limited, and they will not have access to public aid except in cases of extreme poverty ”, explained the minister.

The new heavy-handed policy announced by Downing Street, which is still a proposal under consultation before becoming a bill, has drawn unanimous criticism from opposition parties and human rights organizations.

"It risks making the situation even worse for victims of human trafficking, because it makes it harder for them to ask for help in the UK," said Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labor's Home Office spokesman.

The Johnson Government criticizes in its proposal the attitude of other European countries, in particular France, noting that “many asylum seekers arrive in the United Kingdom through Europe, and move through safe countries where they could and should have applied that right, before deciding to do it in British territory ”.

Neither the 1951 Refugee Convention nor the 1967 Protocol on the Status of Refugees oblige applicants for this right to do so in the first country where it is possible, since there may be other legitimate reasons, such as family ties, for choose another destination state.

The executive director of the British NGO Council for Refugees, Enver Solomon, has accused the Johnson government of "trying to make an unfair difference between the refugees who deserve it and those who do not deserve it."

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Throughout 2020, according to official figures, some 8,500 people reached the British shores in small boats, through the English Channel.

At the end of 2019, an Irish Romanian gang abandoned 39 citizens of Vietnamese origin inside a freezer truck in the town of Grays.

They all died of suffocation.

Minister Patel, reputed to be one of the toughest in the current conservative government, has indicated that the new plan will modify current legislation that expressly prohibits expulsion from the country during the asylum process.

Under the new plan, the process is made possible outside of British territory.

The minister thus recognized the possibility, not yet detailed, of establishing detention centers outside the borders.

Some media suggested, after part of the content of the plan was leaked, that Gibraltar could become a reception point.

The Gibraltarian authorities soon denied this possibility.

To counteract proposals to toughen the law, Patel has promised a more expeditious process for those seeking asylum after entering the UK via a legal route.

"We will continue to encourage seeking asylum through safe and legal routes, and we will strengthen our support with the offer of a comprehensive package of integration aid for those who arrive in this way in our country, as well as with an indefinite residence permit" , the minister has promised.

During 2019, the UK handled some 35,000 new asylum claims.

Combined with those that are still pending resolution, there are about 109,000 people who aspire to refugee status.

Most of the applicants came from Iran, Iraq and Albania.

Patel's intention to enlist the collaboration of the EU countries to curb the entry of immigrants collides with relations that are currently suffering from considerable tension, after the bitter Brexit process.

The United Kingdom aspires to reach new bilateral agreements, because it has been left out of the response to coordinated irregular immigration from Brussels.

"We have regained control of our legal immigration system, by ending the freedom of movement [that membership in the EU entailed]," Patel proclaimed once again.

The first measure promoted by his department consisted in establishing a new point system to enter the country.

Under the new rule, EU citizens must meet the same criteria as anyone else in the world if they aspire to work or live in the UK.

A system that rewards the knowledge of English or the educational and work skills of the applicant.

The Johnson administration finally succeeded in curbing the free flow of citizens from EU countries to which it now claims its "moral obligation" to help combat irregular immigration.

Faster ejections

The New Immigration Plan presented by the Boris Johnson Government expresses its frustration at a legal guarantee system that delays deportations 'sine die'.

With the proposals released this Wednesday, the expulsion process of those who have seen their asylum application denied will be accelerated.

A shorter time, in which the public aid that they may be receiving will be eliminated.

The draft of the Ministry of the Interior also suggests a toughening of the visa policy with respect to those countries that do not collaborate in the return of their nationals.

The Johnson Government estimates that 42,000 people remain in British territory despite having been denied refugee status.