Sunak: Immigrants who enter Britain illegally will be deported

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that migrants who would “enter Britain in small boats” would be stopped and swiftly deported.

Under the British government’s draft law, people who enter the country illegally will not be allowed to apply for asylum and will be deported to their home countries or to so-called safe third countries.

Those who enter the country illegally will no longer be able to use anti-slavery laws to prevent their return.

“Today we are presenting a draft law that makes it clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to request asylum. We will detain those who enter illegally and return them within weeks to their home country or to a safe third country, such as Rwanda. Once you are back, you will be banned forever, just like in America or Australia, from re-entering Britain. This is how we will destroy the business model of human trafficking and take back control of our borders,” said Mr. Sunak.

Mr. Sunak has defined as one of his five priorities the ban of ships, after the number of immigrants who arrived on the south coast of England exceeded 45 thousand last year.

“People need to know that if they come here illegally they will be stopped and deported immediately. When that happens and they know it’s happening they won’t come again and the boats will be stopped,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a press conference on the bill which aims to stop illegal immigrants from staying in the UK.

Anger over rising immigration has played a defining role in British politics for the past 10 years, and Prime Minister Sunak’s Conservatives hope that by toughening the measures they can boost popular support.

According to polls, they have a support of about 20% lower than the opposition Labor Party.

“It is completely unfair to British citizens who have opened their homes to genuine refugees who now have to spend around £6m a day housing migrants in hotels,” Mr Sunak said.

The United Nations refugee agency said it was “deeply concerned” about the proposal, which would deny people the right to asylum, “no matter how true and convincing” the cases may be.

The British government writes on the first page of the bill that it may not comply with Great Britain’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, hinting that it may face legal challenges if passed.

Opposition and charity representatives have questioned whether the government’s latest plans will prove more effective than previous efforts over the past five years to stop people entering Britain illegally by boat.