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LONDON – Promising to fulfill Brexit promises to control British borders, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Thursday the repression of smuggling routes across the English Channel, in which most migrants will be quickly checked and detained, and those who do not meet strict asylum criteria will be flown 4,000 miles to Rwanda for processing there.
Britain will deploy the Royal Navy to patrol the canal and transfer ships departing from the French coast, Johnson said. Smugglers convicted of piloting vessels could face up to life in prison.
Under the plan, which requires parliamentary approval, most migrants crossing the canal illegally will be considered inadmissible for asylum in the UK, as their travel will take them to safe countries where they can apply for asylum.
Johnson suggested that “tens of thousands” of such migrants could be sent to Rwanda, where they would either apply for asylum or refugee status – or be returned to their home countries.
He called the African nation “one of the safest countries in the world, recognized worldwide for its records of welcoming and integrating migrants.”
The dispute over migration between the United Kingdom and France intensified after the death of the English Channel
British officials have said the policy will be to send all inadmissible adults – men and women – to Rwanda. They said they would not send children or unaccompanied minors, nor would they break up families with children. Those who are considered to have real asylum applications can stay in the UK to continue their work.
“It is striking that about 7 out of 10 of those who arrived in small boats last year were men under the age of 40 who paid smugglers to jump in line and used their capacity to help real women and refugee children. “Johnson said.
“This is particularly perverse, as those trying to cross do not flee directly from imminent danger, as is the intended goal of our asylum system,” he said. “They have passed through apparently safe countries, including many in Europe, where they could – and should – have sought asylum.
British Interior Minister Priti Patel traveled to Rwanda on Thursday to sign a deal involving $ 160 million in aid to the country.
The plan, part of a new bill on nationality and borders, must first pass parliament, where Johnson’s Conservative Party has a large majority.
The opposition Labor Party called the proposal “unfeasible, unethical and blackmailing”. Advocacy groups have warned that the measures could violate human rights.
Johnson acknowledged that there are likely to be legal challenges aimed at blocking the plan. He denied that the measures were “draconian or lacking in compassion”.
Johnson said it was much worse to let people drown in the canal. He condemned human traffickers for their role.
“These vile human smugglers are abusing the vulnerable and turning the canal into a water graveyard, drowning men, women and children in unsuitable boats and suffocating them in refrigerated trucks,” he said.
Johnson predicted that plan it will soon be adopted as an “international model”.
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He said it was designed to “break the business model” of smuggling gangs, which could make $ 400,000 for each launch of an immoral boat.
He said he was sending a message that people who cross illegally “risk ending up in Rwanda, not in the UK”. He described it as a “significant deterrent”.
Some migrants are smuggled into Britain in shipping containers, trucks and trains. In 2019, the bodies of 39 Vietnamese – including two boys and eight women – were found in a refrigerated tractor-trailer abandoned by their driver in the South East of England.
The canal, clogged with fast-moving tides and frequent storms, is also one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. In singles incident in november, at least 27 migrants died trying to cross.
More than 28,500 people were detained last year trying to enter Britain through the canal, up from 8,400 in 2020.
About 600 people passed through Wednesday. Johnson warned that thousands a day could experiment in the coming weeks as the weather warmed and the sea calmed.
“I accept that these people – whether 600 or 1,000 – are looking for a better life,” he said. “But those hopes – those dreams – have been exploited.”
Johnson stressed that the British are hospitable and generous, but illegal immigration places an unbearable burden on the country’s schools, health care system and welfare state.
“We cannot maintain a parallel illegal system,” he said. “Our compassion may be infinite, but our ability to help people is not.”
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