UK Illegal Migration Bill [UPSC Notes]

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled a new measure intended to address the nation’s immigration crisis. The Illegal Migration bill seeks to halt the thousands of migrants who use tiny boats to cross the English Channel and enter the nation. Read more on this development in this article. This is an important topic for the UPSC exam international relations segment.

Illegal Migration Bill of the UK

The law gives the UK government the authority to imprison and expel anyone who enters the nation unauthorised. They will be deported to “their native country or a safe third country” after being detained and going through the proper legal procedures. 

• Furthermore, those who enter the country illegally by water will be held for 28 days before being sent back. Once deported back, a person is never allowed to apply for British citizenship or to come back to the UK. 
• What’s more intriguing is that the Bill will be implemented retroactively. It follows that anyone, including those who have already reached the UK, could be expelled. The Bill also establishes a restriction or limit on the annual immigration intake for the UK.
• Migrants who are victims of human trafficking would be barred from using Britain’s modern slavery laws to prevent deportation. This includes the landmark Modern Slavery Act, 2015, which deals with offences like forced labour, human trafficking, and exploitation among others.

Need for an illegal migration law in the UK:

• According to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Illegal Migration Bill will deter thousands of migrants from entering the nation by travelling across the English Channel in small boats. In tiny boats, 45,755 individuals crossed the English Channel in 2022. In just the past two months alone (as of March 2023), more than 3,000 people have traversed the English Channel. According to Sunak, the measure will prevent human traffickers and smugglers from taking advantage of would-be immigrants.
• As per a report, illegal immigrants travel through several secure European nations, paying people thousands of pounds to help them get to the UK.
• In the last few years, UK politics has been played around the anti-illegal migrant sentiment and anti-EU. This also resulted from the economic crisis faced by the UK. So, illegal migrants are scapegoated.

Concerns with the bill:

• The Draft Bill, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, clearly violates the 1951 Refugee Convention. 
• It views the Bill as an international law-incompatible ban on asylum.
• It may create a domino effect and other western countries might follow suit and hence push the globe towards the anti-globalisation wave.

Conclusion: 

• Some individuals and groups may support anti-migration policies due to concerns about national security, cultural preservation, or economic competition. Others may oppose such policies, arguing that they are inhumane, discriminatory, or counterproductive to social and economic progress. 
• Ultimately, the decision to implement or oppose anti-migration policies is up to governments and policymakers, and it often involves balancing competing interests and values. 
• It’s important for individuals and groups to engage in informed and respectful dialogue about these issues and to work towards solutions that are fair, just, and sustainable for all parties involved.

UK’s Illegal Migration Bill:- Download PDF Here