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Under the new legislation refugees could be jailed for four years for entering Britain without permission
REFUGEE rights groups have promised “fierce resistance” to the Tory’s “callous and cruel” Nationality and Borders Bill.
The legislation, introduced in Parliament by Home Secretary Priti Patel today, contains provisions to set up offshore processing centres and make knowingly arriving in Britain without permission a criminal offence, punishable by up to four years in jail.
For the first time, asylum-seekers’ claims will be treated differently depending on how they reached Britain, with those entering via irregular routes refused the right to claim asylum and threatened with deportation.
Britain’s proud asylum history, from sheltering the Kindertransport escaping Hitler to Basque children fleeing fascist Spain, required tireless campaigning against persistent opposition — and it’s up to all of us to do our part today, writes SABINA PRICE