The government’s plans for the Illegal Migration Bill – which would see virtually all people arriving outside formal, legal channels deported – has raised many uncomfortable questions. Is a trafficked Romanian girl sold into sex slavery in Britain really exempt from protection under the Modern Slavery Act? Would an Iranian gay man, afraid for his life, showing up in a UK airport with forged papers really be sent back out again?
The government’s blanket approach to all ‘illegal’ migrants has, curiously enough, completely obscured how the UK will respond to genuine human rights abuses. Or perhaps it hasn’t: as the details come out, we may discover that these victims are being forced down the priority list in pursuit of a short-term political agenda.
We know these problems are solvable. It’s political will that’s standing in the way
Either way, I suspect the small boats will keep coming. I also suspect we will see people try out even more dangerous ways of coming into the UK.
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