Proposed UK law could see asylum seekers jailed for up to 4 years

The British government has introduced a bill that would allow authorities to criminally prosecute and jail asylum seekers who are intercepted trying to enter the United Kingdom without permission for up to five years.

The proposed legislation would also limit the rights and protections currently afforded to people who claim asylum after entering the U.K. “without valid entry clearance,” CBS reports.

Under the Nationality and Borders Bill, which has not yet been passed into law, if a person arrives in the UK using a regulated route — having obtained a travel visa for instance — and then claims asylum, they would still go through the normal UK refugee process and, if successful, gain the right to remain in Britain and potentially permission for close relatives, like children or a spouse, to join them.

But if someone arrives in the UK using an “informal” route — a small boat from France, or sneaking in on a semi-truck being the most common methods — the government would first try to deport the individual back home or to a “safe third country.” If authorities were unable to do either of those things, the asylum-seeker would be granted a temporary protection status that would be subject to frequent review, and they could face criminal charges. They would also not be able to apply to bring immediate family to join them.

“We have taken back control of our legal immigration system by ending free movement and introducing a new points-based immigration system,” a policy statement put together by the government said, referring to the tightening of legal immigration rules with Britain’s “Brexit” from the European Union. “But to properly control our borders we must address the challenge of illegal immigration, too.”

“A dangerous precedent”

The government’s push for the new law comes amid a rise in small boat crossings from France. The uptick is generally attributed to increased security at French ports and shipping changes due to the coronavirus pandemic, both of which have made sneaking in on the back of trucks more difficult.

The Refugee Council, a British charity that supports asylum seekers and refugees, estimates that if the bill is passed into law, between 9,000 and 21,600 applicants who would currently qualify for refugee status in Britain no longer would. The organization also predicts that the legislation, if passed, would not reduce the number of people making the journey to the UK to seek asylum.

This article originally appeared in Nigeria Abroad