A new law to tighten controls on migrants arriving in Britain by small boats from Europe across the English Channel would be revealed tomorrow, according to the Sun newspaper
The number of people making the risky passage increased to over 45,000 last year, prompting the British government to pledge to take more aggressive action to address the problem.
The newspaper reported that under the new legislation being considered, all people who arrive on small boats would have their requests for refuge rejected, and they would be deported to a safe third country as quickly as possible.
“Enough is enough,” British Home Minister Suella Braverman told the newspaper. “The British people want this solved. “They are sick of tough talk and inadequate action. We must stop the boats.”
The number of migrants arriving on the English coast has more than doubled over the past two years, and the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak listed resolving the issue as one of his top five priorities in January.
Then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reached an agreement last year to transfer tens of thousands of migrants to Rwanda, many of whom had travelled more than 6,400 kilometres from war-torn Afghanistan, Syria, or other countries.
The English Channel is a popular passage for African illegal migrants trying to enter the United Kingdom. These migrants frequently travel from Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Ethiopia through Europe before trying to cross the Channel from northern France to southern England. The journey is dangerous, and many migrants have died in the endeavour.
The UK government has been enacting policies to discourage migrants from making the trip as well as to address the underlying causes of migration, such as poverty and conflict in the countries of origin. However, migration remains a complex and difficult problem in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe.