A grindingly slow bureaucratic machine crushes asylum seekers, and the borders bill will only make things worse
Horrifying scenes are unfolding in Afghanistan. Taliban forces are reportedly going door to door, making blacklists of anyone who has worked with the former government. Even if Britain had not played a part in what’s unravelling right now, we would have a moral duty to act.
In this context, announcements from some UK regional leaders that they will accept Afghan refugees are welcome. But a years-long wait for resettlement cannot be the only protection we offer. The events unfolding in Afghanistan, with people forced to flee without a moment’s notice, show what it means to become a refugee and call into question an already rotten asylum system, which is due to go from bad to worse if the government’s new borders bill is passed.
