Controversial reform of British asylum law passes last parliamentary step

The controversial reform of the law of asylum of the government of Boris Johnson, which contemplates the outsourcing to third countries of the analysis of applicants, is about to enter British law after having overcome a last parliamentary obstacle.

After the rejection on Wednesday of an amendment in the House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament, the text will soon enter the law once it receives the consent of Queen Elizabeth II.

The reform plans to toughen the sanctions against traffickers and migrants who have knowingly arrived illegally in the country, as well as the outsourcing of the asylum application procedure to third countries.

The Conservative government announced two weeks ago an agreement with Rwanda to send asylum seekers who arrived illegally in the UK there.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to control immigration, a key issue in the Brexit campaign, but the number of illegal crossings of the English Channel tripled in 2021, a year marked by the death of 27 migrants in a shipwreck to end of November.

Faced with criticism of its reform, the government invoked the need to dissuade those who consider these dangerous crossings and to put an end to the lucrative business of traffickers.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) criticized this approval for “undermining established international law and practice on refugee protection.”

In a statement, High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said he was “concerned by the UK’s intention to outsource its obligations to protect refugees and asylum seekers to other countries” and noted that this is “contrary to the letter and spirit of the Refugee Convention.

The NGO Oxfam denounced through one of its managers, Sam Nadel, that the approval of this “hateful” text is “a devastating blow for families fleeing conflict and persecution.”

“The government should protect and not punish refugees,” he said, denouncing “immoral plans to outsource our asylum responsibilities to Rwanda.”

“The horrific conflict in Ukraine has sparked immense public support for refugees” and “a reminder of the importance of a fair asylum system and the need for more safe and legal pathways,” he added.

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