British Parliament approves controversial immigration bill

The British Parliament approved a controversial immigration bill late Monday, which specifically prohibits illegal immigrants who have arrived in the United Kingdom from seeking asylum in the country.

This legislation is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's plan to combat illegal immigration, which he has placed as a top priority.

The Prime Minister pledged to "halt" the arrival of irregular immigrants to his country through the English Channel on small boats that often depart from nearby French coasts.

In 2022, more than 45,000 migrants arrived on these boats on the shores of England, setting a record number. Since the beginning of the year, their number has exceeded 13,000.

This text, which sparked widespread criticism within the United Kingdom and from international human rights organizations, specifically stipulates that illegal immigrants who have arrived on British territory are not allowed to seek asylum in the country. 

After detaining irregular immigrants, the government aims to deport them as quickly as possible, either to their countries of origin or to a third country, such as Rwanda, regardless of the country they came from.

Last year, Britain signed an agreement with Rwanda to send illegal immigrants to the African country, but no deportation operations have been carried out under this controversial agreement.

The first deportation operation was scheduled for June 2022, but the flight was canceled following a decision by the European Court of Human Rights.

At the end of June, the judiciary declared the agreement illegal, but the British government immediately announced its intention to appeal this ruling.

In Parliament, the immigration bill was delayed for weeks after the House of Lords pushed for several amendments to be introduced.

Among the most notable amendments made to the bill were restrictions on detaining children and protecting modern slavery victims.

The bill still needs to be approved by King Charles III to become effective law.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church and also a member of the House of Lords, was one of the staunchest opponents of this law.

During the discussions in the House of Lords, the Archbishop of Canterbury said, "I don't see how" this text would stop migrant boats.

He added, "I haven't heard anything that convinced me."



AFP