UK Unveils Bill to Stop Illegal Entry From English Channel

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Facts

• On Tuesday, the UK announced a new bill that focuses on deterring illegal immigration, denying entry to migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats or use other illegal means of entering the UK.¹
• The legislation — dubbed the Illegal Migration Bill — will detain and deport illegal migrants back home or to a “safe third country” and also bar them from returning or seeking citizenship.²
• The measures come amid fears that the UK is attracting human smugglers who use women and children to gain entry.³
• More than 45k migrants reportedly attempted the dangerous journey across the English Channel to enter the UK in 2022 — up 500% from two years ago. Sunak has made tackling the issue one of his five main priorities.⁴
• The UK government says that many people making the journey are economic migrants and adds that it will establish more legal asylum pathways for people from Afghanistan, Hong Kong, and Ukraine.⁵
• Home Secretary Suella Braverman acknowledged the bill — which still needs to be approved by parliament — may face legal challenges amid questions of its compatibility with Britain’s “international obligations.”⁶

Sources: ¹Dw.com, ²Al Jazeera, ³The telegraph, ⁴Reuters, ⁵Associated Press and ⁶Abc news.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by Daily mail. The UK government is taking the bold and necessary step to crack down on the migration crisis as thousands of people dangerously and illegally traverse the English Channel. Gangs use women and children to gain entry to the UK, smuggling them against their will, and something has to be done.
• Left narrative, as provided by The national. The UK government is implementing an unethical and unworkable policy that will put asylum seekers in even graver danger as many people are leaving dangerous countries that they cannot return to. The UK must work with the international community to help refugees, not abandon them.