The British government on Tuesday released details of a new law that would ban migrants who cross the English Channel illegally from seeking asylum in the United Kingdom, Reuters reported.

Migrants cross the English ChannelPhoto: i-Images / Eyevine / Profimedia Images

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier said stopping such arrivals to the UK was one of his five key priorities in office after the number of migrants who landed on England’s south coast rose to more than 45,000 last year, with 90 % of them applied for asylum.

The new law basically says that all asylum seekers who enter the UK illegally on such boats must be deported, stripping them of their right to seek asylum.

“They will not stop until the world knows that if you enter the UK illegally, you will be quickly detained and deported,” British Home Secretary Suella Braverman told parliament in London.

“This law allows illegal immigrants to be held without bail or judicial review (…) until they are removed” within 28 days of their arrest, she said.

Braverman stressed that migrants who enter the country illegally will no longer be able to use the Kingdom’s anti-slavery laws to try to block their deportation.

Britain wants to deport illegals to Rwanda

The Refugee Council charity said thousands of genuine refugees who could previously have been granted asylum would now be “locked up like criminals” and accused the law of “undermining” London’s obligations under the UN Refugee Convention.

The convention requires countries that adhere to it to ensure that asylum seekers are treated fairly, regardless of how they arrived in the country.

But Braverman said the government was confident the new legislation was in line with the UK’s international obligations.

The opposition and charities also express doubts that the new measures will be more effective than those previously used by Britain to stop illegal migration.

Last year, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the signing of a deal with Rwanda so that tens of thousands of migrants could be resettled in the African country, but the plan was blocked at the last mile in June by the European Court of Human Rights.

In December, the High Court in London ruled that the deportation of illegal immigrants to Rwanda was legal, but opponents are trying to overturn the verdict.

The law, presented by the British government on Tuesday, is also expected to be challenged in court.