The British Government wants to accommodate undocumented immigrants who arrive on its shores in a giant boat

Rishi Sunak has tied his mandate, based on increasingly ambitious promises, to resolving the immigrant crisis.

And he does not rule out any strategy.

First came the idea of ​​sending anyone who reached British shores irregularly to Rwanda, a project he pursues.

Now the Home Office is preparing to install the new arrivals on a huge ship, the

, to prevent them from setting foot on English soil.

“We cannot continue to maintain a situation where six million pounds sterling [6.8 million euros] are spent daily on hotels for illegal immigrants.

I promised that I would do everything necessary to end this, and to reduce the pressure on the communities that have to live with these hotels.

That is why we are looking for alternatives like the boat that we have announced today”, Sunak defended the project this Thursday.

Currently, there are more than 51,000 immigrants, waiting for their asylum application to be resolved, in almost 400 hotels throughout the United Kingdom.

The

is not a conventional ship.

She doesn't look like a cruise ship or a military ship.

It is more like a huge floating building – a floating prison, according to its critics – rectangular in shape, with 222 rooms, a bar and a gym.

She will remain anchored in the port of Portland, in the coastal city of Weymouth, in the south of England.

The British government hopes to be able to house up to 500 adult males there, for at least a year and a half.

The vessel is owned by the Bibby Marine company, based in the city of Liverpool, but operates under the Barbados flag.

"She has already accommodated in a very comfortable way, on previous occasions, workers from the construction industry or military personnel," the company has defended.

In the early 2000s, the Dutch government contracted the same floating residence to house asylum seekers, and ended up dismantling the infrastructure after receiving widespread criticism for the oppressive environment that developed on the ship.

The municipalities in the area, refugee aid organizations, and the occasional Conservative deputy - not many, that is the truth - have criticized the new plan.

“A floating residence is not capable of providing the support, dignity or respect these people deserve,” said Enver Solomon, executive director of the Refugee Council.

“These types of accommodation are failing to provide the support needed by all those who have suffered the trauma of having to leave their homes,” said Christina Marriott, Executive Director of Strategy and Communication for the British Red Cross.

The humanitarian objections are added to those related to the economic cost or social tension that the new experiment may have, which are the main concern of local politicians in the county of Dorset, where the city of Weymouth is located.

“We are contemplating all kinds of responses, including going to court.

We want this project to be thrown away before any commitment is even signed," said Conservative MP Richard Drax, who defends the interests of the affected constituency.

“Weymouth is a summer resort that depends almost exclusively on tourists.

I don't think it's smart to bring 500 or more immigrants there.

We already know that in other places they have disappeared from hotels, and in some cases they have become criminal gangs”, suggested Drax,

The port authorities, however, have championed a project that can bring daily capital into its business.

"I encourage all members of our community to look at this matter with an open mind," asked Bill Reeves, executive director of the Port of Portland, who has promised direct and close involvement of neighbors and volunteers in decisions that are adopted.

Sunak, desperately

So far this year, almost 4,000 people have arrived by boat on British shores through the English Channel.

These are almost insignificant numbers, compared to the challenge facing the countries of southern Europe, but immigration is a highly toxic issue in British politics, as was already proven during the Brexit referendum campaign.

Sociologists calculate that practically half of the electorate, Conservative or Labor, places this issue on the list of their priorities when voting.

If in 2018 there were only 300 who crossed the canal, last year they exceeded 40,000.

So far in 2023, there are already more than 4,000 immigrants who have arrived by sea.

Sunak has been increasing, almost desperately, the measures to deal with this increase in numbers.

He has just presented a new law, criticized by all humanitarian organizations, which automatically prevents people who arrive in the country irregularly from requesting asylum.

In the terminology of the Conservative Government, contrary to the recommendations of the UN, they are "illegals" who do not deserve access to the administrative process of other refugees.

Except for exceptions such as minors, or those fleeing serious persecution, newcomers will be expelled immediately, according to the new law.

Downing Street also maintains plans to begin deporting many of the irregular immigrants to the African country of Rwanda, with whose government the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed a collaboration agreement last year.

The High Court of the United Kingdom has defended the legality of the deportations, against the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, last June, to stop the takeoff to that country of the first plane with immigrants.

But despite the fact that Sunak has managed to rebuild relations with its European partners, it has still not been able to get the French government to accept the return of immigrants arriving in the United Kingdom from its shores.

The Executive of Emmanuel Macron has already made it clear to the British that the matter can only be decided by that institution to which it is responsible: the European Union.

In exchange, Macron promised Sunak to increase cooperation and the resources allocated to jointly monitor the French beaches from which most of the boats depart.

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