UNITED KINGDOM

Anti-Refugee Bill:

The UK's anti-refugee bill, since introduction in the parliament, has been nothing short of
barbarous. Under this bill, refugees who attempt to enter the country in a way that is
deemed illegal could be subjected to prison sentences.

A huge part of the Bill is to strongly discourage people from arriving "irregularly" to the UK
but one does not have to be a genius to point out that it is extremely difficult for people
fleeing desperate situations such as war, torture and persecution to apply for asylums
before setting off. This bill hence encourages inhumanity against refugees from war ridden
countries and instills fear in their minds of imprisonment for simply seeking asylums in
Britain.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also issued in a
statement in response to the Bill that it will "undermine the 1951 Refugee Convention"
which protects refugees under international law, but as evident as it is, the approved
Anti-refugee bill clearly has the intent of punishing vulnerable refugees, and protect them.
Which brings us to the question: Are Ukrainian refugees even protected and safe in the UK
after the introduction and approval of such an inhumane bill?

The new rules even suggest that the authorities of the UK can reject asylum claims if the
claimant has traveled through a "safe country" like France. Which brings us to another
question: Why must France be subjected to taking in refugees who are willing to seek
asylum in England? Because after Brexit, France does not owe commitment to the Dublin
Regulation- which sets terms for returning asylum-seekers to safe EU countries. Now, any
asylum-seekers who reach the UK from France are stuck there, because France is not
bound by any legal framework to take the migrants back, unlike it did under the Dublin
Regulation. Bottom line is, the French are not compelled by law to keep migrants who are
illegally trying to reach UK, and hold the authority to expel them if they are found to be a
threat to national security.

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Migrants crossing the English Channel from France to England:

A total of 15,400 people have attempted to cross the Channel in the first eight months of
2021, an increase of 50% over the figure for the whole of 2020, according to the French
coast guard statistics. You're in for a surprise, the number has risen to more than 40,000 in
2022! And why is that? Because of Britain's immigration policy. Limited access to, or
inadequate safe and legal avenues, are contributing to more people using alternative and
illegal ways into Britain. Which again brings us to the question: Why must France suffer with
the entrance and havoc caused by illegal migrants and more importantly, why do the
English authorities expect us to take actions and prevent these illegal flow of migrants
when they are not bound by law to do so? Hence, French authorities expelling illegal and
unsafe migrants is justified for our own national safety.

Under an agreement reached in July, Britain has agreed to finance border security in France
to the tune of €62.7 million but as reported by the French, the promised money has not
been paid.

Over the past months, France has stopped 65% of attempted crossings by illegal
immigrants, up from the 50% last year and will continue to continue the work.

In addition to this, the tough immigration policy of the UK has encouraged the increased
activity of Albanian criminal gangs in the migrant camps of France, who are using France as
a "recruitment ground", offering to pay for the illegal passage of those who are prepared to
work in the drug industry of the UK. The growing role of Albanian middlemen on the French
land has become a huge source of concern France' security. Why must the French
population and authority suffer because of Britain's failed border and migration policy? If
legal and safe routes into Britain are restricted, such criminal and unsafe migrants are
bound to haunt France, which is unfair to them. Even the Prime Minister of Albania has
accused the UK of scapegoating his fellow citizens to excuse its "failed policies" on borders
and migration.

How does Brexit come into play?

The United Kingdom’s 2021 departure from the European Union, otherwise known as
Brexit, and the significant halt to movement brought on by the pandemic has prompted

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many migrants to attempt the hazardous crossing in inflatable boats or other small vessels,
with sometimes tragic results; in November 2021, 27 people died attempting the journey in
a dinghy, spurring new public outrage.

Rolling back to the early days, EU countries made a strategy to combat "illegal migration"
and hence organized the 2003 treaty of Le Touquet with France and the Dublin Regulation
with the rest of EU nations for migration governance mechanism. But Brexit and repeal of
EU legislation has meant that the UK is no longer tied to the Dublin Regulation and other
EU-wide immigration control mechanisms which means that according to the rules of
Brexit, the failed applicants for asylum seeking cannot be deported to "safe countries".
Return arrangements now need to be negotiated individually with EU countries. Hence,
since free movement between EU countries has ended after Brexit, the UK cannot deport
illegal migrants to France unless negotiated individually.

Bottom line is, Brexit has caused the end of free movement between EU nations and
Britain. Now, immigration seeking asylum need visas to enter and work in Britain but
because of Britain's anti-refugee bill, immigrants cannot issue work visas and this compels
them to seek illegal ways to enter the UK.

Impact of Brexit on EU nations:

After Brexit, higher barriers to trade, capital flows and labor mobility have affected output
and jobs not just in the UK, but also in the remaining EU member states. Since Brexit meant
that both parties had to withdraw from a frictionless economic relationship, there have
been costs on both sides. The reversal of integration following Brexit has hurt income and
employment in the EU. So if the government of Britain believes that the Brexit is an
"internal matter" and "is an action taken to secure the interests of the British population", it
must be an act of delusion because not only has Brexit affected the economy of France
along with the other EU nations, but it has also put France, specifically, under risk of
national safety because of the migrant flows from France to reach the UK through the
water channel, which France should not have had to go through. Now, it is quite generous
of France to even look for a solution to the problems and blunders caused by the inefficient
government of Britain.

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