Of the possibility of having their asylum application examined, the bill would remove one of the major components of the protection system. “The adoption of this bill would aggravate the already considerable regression recorded in recent years in the United Kingdom in the field of the protection of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants”, underlines the Commissioner.
In her letter, the Commissioner identifies several worrying aspects of the draft law, including the following: the text does not guarantee that appeals against deportation decisions would be assessed in full respect of the standards established by the ECHR; most people who might be victims of human trafficking would be deprived of the protections against modern slavery; powers of detention would be expanded; and the possibilities of challenging detention measures in court would be strictly limited. The Commissioner also warns against the risk that the bill will undo progress made in reducing the harmful practice of placing children in detention.
In addition, the Commissioner observes that, if this bill were adopted, many people would risk finding themselves in a legal vacuum. It stresses once again the importance of legal and safe migration channels. However, for these to be a credible alternative to illegal and dangerous Channel crossings, the UK Government should extend the possibilities for legal and safe migration without waiting for the boats to stop arriving, and a framework should be established in under which people who might be in need of protection or who might be entitled to stay in the UK for other reasons would be able to apply from France.
This article is originally published on coe.int