UK set to announce controversial law on people crossing English Channel with small boats

UK set to announce controversial law on people crossing English Channel with small boats

New measures could lead to detention, deportation of vulnerable people, including children, those fleeing persecution

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The UK government is set to announce a new legislation regarding small boat crossings across the English Channel amid concerns that such measures could lead to the detention and deportation of vulnerable people, including children and those fleeing persecution.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who has been at the forefront in addressing the issue of illegal migration, will publish the law on Tuesday.

It remains to be seen what the specific details of the legislation will be, but it may include measures such as increasing penalties for people smugglers, increasing patrols and surveillance along the coast, and potentially detaining and deporting those who enter the UK illegally via small boats.

Critics have argued that the proposed laws fail to recognize the humanitarian nature of the crisis and could lead to violations of international law and human rights.

In response to the proposed legislation, some human rights groups have called for a more compassionate and practical approach to the issue, such as improving access to safe and legal routes for refugees and asylum seekers.

They have also called for more investment in frontline services to help support those who are most vulnerable.


- Rwanda resettlement

Last year, the British government announced a new and controversial relocation plan that would see asylum seekers attempting to enter the UK being sent to Rwanda for resettlement.

Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled the new approach, claiming to have created a “world-leading asylum offer” that would protect the UK’s borders, put an end to illegal people smuggling and take back control of legal immigration.

In his speech on Jan. 4, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also said tackling the problem of irregular migration boats, also known as Channel crossings, is among the top five priorities of his government.

According to official data, a record 45,756 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in 2022.

Besides making a deal with France to fight human smuggling in the English Channel, the UK also revealed a controversial plan last April to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, where their claims would be processed.

In January, this year the top court in London granted an appeal to a charity which challenged the court’s decision that the government’s plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda are lawful in broad principle.

In December last year, the government beat back a legal challenge to its irregular migrant policy as the High Court paved the way for the deportations. In a 139-page ruling, Lord Justice Lewis said the controversial policy, first introduced under Johnson, was "consistent with the refugee convention.” Although judges dismissed the challenges against the policy as a whole, they found that the government had failed to consider individual cases of eight asylum seekers.

Pushing back against criticisms, Home Secretary Braverman said she wants to press on with the deportation policy “as soon as possible,” adding that the government stands ready to defend the policy “against any further legal challenge.”


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