UN concerned about UK's new immigration bill

Migrants are brought ashore from the UK Border Force vessel 'BF Ranger' in Dover, as they attempt to cross the English Channel from France to Britain, 6.3.2023

In an interview in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr. Turk said that from the perspective of international refugee law and international human rights law, the United Nations (UN) is very concerned about the UK's new Illegal Immigration Bill, because this document will ban people from seeking asylum in the UK. He officially expressed his concerns about this bill to the UK in April. He said that developed countries are using laws and regulations to restrict immigration, even though the number of people allowed to immigrate to these countries is much smaller than that of poorer countries such as Uganda and Bangladesh.

The UK and around 150 other countries have ratified the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, but Mr Turk said it was not being respected. He cited new US immigration rules that make it difficult to claim asylum at the border, but he welcomed the Biden administration’s efforts to address the issue by creating safe migration routes.

On the same day, a spokesman for the British Foreign Office in Geneva affirmed that the country's new policies are legal and comply with the UN convention on refugee status, and said that it will continue to discuss the bill with the UN High Commissioner.

Earlier, the House of Commons passed the Illegal Immigration Bill introduced by the government. The new rules will prevent people arriving in the UK in small boats from claiming asylum, forcing them to return home or to safe third countries, such as Rwanda. The bill also contains amendments including clarifying the circumstances under which unaccompanied children are deported and pledging to outline “safe and legal routes” for asylum seekers to the UK. The bill now moves to the House of Lords for consideration.

According to VNA