We produced a motion briefing paper for GPEW members to take to the European Greens Congress in Vienna about the Illegal immigration Bill currently making its way through parliament.
After reading the paper, the European Greens were so appalled at the detail of the Bill that they decided to make a statement at the Congress instead.
Full statement below:
European Greens Oppose Draconian UK Illegal Migration Bill
The European Green Party strongly condemns the Illegal Migration Bill that the UK government has presented to the UK Parliament this spring: “The UK government should fulfill its international obligations under the Refugee Convention, respect the rule of law, and treat people seeking asylum fairly and humanely.”
The new Illegal Migration Bill will automatically dismiss any asylum claims by people who arrive by ‘irregular’ routes and not directly from their country of origin, and deport them from the UK with no right of appeal. The Bill will also restrict courts – including the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) – from challenging the detention of a person. With this legislation, the UK government is openly attacking people’s right to seek asylum, no matter their country of origin. Vulnerable communities, particularly women, children, and LGBTQIA+ people, are at increased risk from this legislation. Protections against indefinite detentions for pregnant women and children will be removed, whilst LGBTQIA+ people will be at risk of being deported to a third country where their rights are not safeguarded.
If adopted, immigration officers will get wide powers to search persons, seize and access mobile phones, and search other property. Almost all protections for victims of modern slavery and trafficking will be removed if they are targeted for deportation.
The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR has said that this Bill ‘would amount to an asylum ban’ as it would extinguish ‘the right to seek refugee protection in the United Kingdom for those who arrive irregularly, no matter how compelling their claim may be.’
“This Bill creates an inhumane barrier to those seeking asylum. We want to send a strong message to the UK government that this is an unacceptable deviation from both international law and moral standards”, the European Greens conclude.
European Green Party
Mélanie Vogel and Thomas Waitz, Co-Chairs
Ute Michel and Mina Jack Tolu, Committee Members
Green Party of England and Wales
Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, Co-Leaders
Caroline Lucas, MP
Scottish Green Party
Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, Co-Leaders
Green Party Northern Ireland
Mal O’Hara, Party Leader
Lesley Veronica, Deputy Leader
Read the full statement here:
https://europeangreens.eu/content/european-greens-oppose-draconian-uk-illegal-migration-bill
