“Morally reprehensible”: London wants to send migrants to third countries

Thursday 18 March 2021

“Morally reprehensible”
London wants to send migrants to third countries

In 2020 more and more people will flee to Great Britain in the English Channel. The British government now plans to send migrants to third countries as a deterrent. Aid organizations are sharply critical of the plans.

According to a newspaper report, as a deterrent, the British government wants to send migrants to third countries and outlying areas to process their asylum applications. The “Times” reported that the overseas territory of Gibraltar at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula or the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, which is not part of the United Kingdom as the crown’s property, is in discussion. But other countries like Turkey will also be discussed.

The Gibraltar government insisted, however, that no negotiations took place. The area is not available for legal and geographical reasons. The Isle of Man government also announced that London had not approached the issue. As reported by the “Times”, migrants entering illegally from a safe country like France are to be deported immediately. The law also provides for life imprisonment and establishment of reception centers for traffickers.

Aid organizations criticized the schemes “inhumane and morally reprehensible”. The newspaper wrote that the aim of radical reform is to prevent illegal entry on the English Channel. In 2020, 8,420 people came to Great Britain across the Strait, mostly in small boats, a record. There are over 800 so far this year. According to the government, many people risk crossing in the European Union after their asylum applications have been rejected.

The plans of Interior Minister Preeti Patel are soon reminiscent of Australia’s controversial refugee policy. The country is keeping hundreds of refugees and refugees under house arrest in the Pacific islands of Nauru and part of Papua New Guinea on Manus Island. Last year, the British government is said to have considered the ascension of the remote British Atlantic islands and migrants to St. Helena. The idea was dismissed as unrealistic, now reported to “The Times”.