Andy Drozdziak
A Catholic justice charity says it is ‘troubled’ by the ‘cruel’ immigration laws proposed and supported by new prime minster Liz Truss.
The issue has come to the fore as the total number of people crossing the Channel to the UK this year nears 30,000. Around 93 migrants-amongst them young children in blankets- were recorded by the Ministry of Defence taking the journey in four boats on Tuesday, taking the provisional total for 2022 so far to 29,799. This is higher than for the whole of last year (28,526).
People wearing winter coats, some carrying youngsters, climbed down a ladder from a packed RNLI lifeboat and on to the beach at Dungeness, Kent. They then boarded buses and were taken to be processed.
In April, then home secretary Priti Patel announced controversial plans to send migrants to Rwanda to try to deter people from crossing the Channel. These plans have been supported by Liz Truss, who intends to continue with the Rwanda plan.
Megan Knowles of JRS UK expressed concern at Ms. Truss’ ‘planned banishment of asylum seekers.’
“The new Prime Minister enters office at a time when law and government policy towards refugees has been growing ever crueller and yet more hostile,” she told the Universe.
“The Nationality and Borders Act, New Plan for Immigration, and plan to banish sanctuary seekers to Rwanda without even examining their cases are designed to punish refugees for the reality of forced displacement and abrogate our duty to provide sanctuary. We are troubled by Ms Truss’s proposals to continue and expand the planned banishment of asylum seekers.”
Megan Knowles urged the prime minister to ‘change course’ and adopt a new approach to migrants.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” she said. “Her taking office is an opportunity to change course. We urge the new Prime Minister to abandon these cruel laws and policies, and forge an asylum system based on dignity, humanity, and justice”.
Numerous asylum seekers, the Public and Commercial Services Union and charities Care4Calais, Detention Action and Asylum Aid are currently locked in a court case with the Home Office as they challenge the legality of the policy.
Picture: PA Wire/PA Images Picture by: Gareth Fuller
Children’s faces have been pixelated as the PA Picture Desk has been unable to gain the necessary permission to photograph a child under 16 on issues involving their welfare. A man carries a young child as a group of people thought to be migrants are helped to shore in Dungeness, Kent, after being rescued in the Channel by the RNLI following a small boat incident.