UK Home Secretary Proposes Asylum Ban on Channel Migrants

Photo: EPA [via The Independent]

The Facts

  • On Tuesday, during the Conservative Party conference, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman proposed banning migrants who cross the English Channel from claiming asylum in Britain. The UK government has faced increasing pressure to act on the issue, with more than 30K arrivals in 2022, surpassing last year's record.

  • "It's time to tackle the small boats," she said, "to make it clear that the only route to the United Kingdom is through a safe and legal route." Braverman continued asserting that any migrant who illegally enters the UK from a safe nation "should be swiftly returned to [their] home country or relocated to Rwanda," a reference to a controversial government relocation scheme.


The Spin

Right narrative

The European Commission on Human Rights has grossly expanded its reach by ruling on asylum claims that are out of its purview. Braverman seeks to deter illegal entry to the UK and to restore fairness to the UK's asylum system. This effort will stop smuggling profiteering and reinforce the rights of genuine asylum seekers.

Left narrative

A blanket ban is an immoral and inhumane response to this issue and will only increase attacks on refugees who have every right to be in the UK. People who have escaped some of the world's worst horrors shouldn't have to face these kinds of threats just to claim asylum in the UK.

Nerd narrative

There is a 50% chance that at least 1.99k migrants will die or go missing in the Mediterranean in 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.



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