The new law will not act as the deterrent the UK government says it will – it just puts more vulnerable people in harm’s way
There have been a number of migration bills in recent years, but make no mistake: the illegal migration bill that has now passed through parliament is a watershed moment. It will go down in history as a milestone like no other. As the UN has said, it “extinguishes access to asylum” in the UK for anyone arriving by a route the government deems “irregular”.
Pause for a moment and consider what that means. These are all people, like you and me. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. They aren’t all “illegals”, as the government claims. They are the family from Syria who saw their neighbours killed by bombs. Sudanese people fleeing the brutal war that is raging in their country. Iranians escaping persecution. And Afghans, who made up the largest nationality coming across the Channel in the first three months of this year.
