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UK considers sending asylum seekers to Rwanda — UK migrant policy thread

MenInG

MenInG

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Is the UK doing the right thing with migrants, refugees, and the Rwanda policy?

The government has said it wants to see migrant boats intercepted at sea and directly returned to France in a bid to curb recent increases in Channel crossings.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has appointed a "clandestine Channel threat commander" who will work to make the route "unviable for small boat crossings".

Dan O'Mahoney, a former Border Force official and marine deployed to Kosovo and Iraq, will work with the French to explore what tougher action can be taken including "adopting interceptions at sea and the direct return of boats".

Britain wants Paris to stop more small vessels heading to England and take them back to French ports, rather than shepherding them onward until they reach British waters.

A government source told Sky News on Saturday that a "passive blockade" in the Channel was being considered, with the Ministry of Defence being asked for assistance by the Home Office amid reports the Navy could be brought in.

Immigration minister Chris Philp will meet his French counterparts next week as he seeks to shut down the Calais-to-Britain route completely.

It comes after recent calm conditions prompted a huge surge in people trying to make the journey.

Kent County Council has said that 400 migrant children have been taken into its care this year, including 60 in the first week of August and 23 on Friday alone.

Ministers are believed to be looking at surveillance, reconnaissance and command controls as potential ways of reducing crossings.

But Helen Baron, a solicitor who is representing a number of migrants who arrived in the UK by boat, says the tactics are illegal and could risk lives.

"It's completely illegal under international law and it's deeply concerning that these kind of statements are coming out of government, they must know it's completely against the law", she said.

Former Labour shadow home secretary Diane Abbott commented: "The danger is that if you try and blockade these boats, which are mostly rubber dinghies and mostly steered by people who are not experienced sailors, then the boats tip over and people die."

But Ms Patel said: "The number of illegal small boat crossings is appalling.

"We are working to make this route unviable and arresting the criminals facilitating these crossings and making sure they are brought to justice."

On Saturday morning in Kingsdown in Kent, a boat carrying 14 people - including two pregnant women and a child - arrived on the shore, an eyewitness told Sky News.

She said: "A pregnant lady had to be assisted off by the ambulance service to go to hospital because she was clearly about to give birth.

"It was a mad show... I've never seen anything like that in my time. It was literally just random and just popped up on shore... All the border patrol and the coastguard were coming down at the same time because they caught them all at the same time when they got in."

Witness describes seeing the arrival of migrants in a dinghy on a beach in Kent

Migrants beach landing 'was a mad show'

Another dinghy with 12 people on board was later filmed being intercepted by a Border Force patrol boat.

A vessel carrying 19 people and a migrant in a wheelchair was also among those seen being brought ashore at Dover this weekend.

https://news.sky.com/story/border-f...o-france-after-crossing-numbers-soar-12045601
 
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More than 4,000 migrants have reached the UK so far this year by crossing the English Channel in small boats, as a political row over the issue intensifies.

While southeast England basked in roasting sunshine on Sunday, a dozen people arrived in Dover after making the dangerous crossing.

It followed 151 who landed the previous day, putting the total since 1 January at 4,100.

The government has asked the Navy for help and a former Royal Marine has been appointed "clandestine Channel threat commander" to try and cut down the numbers.

Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed last year that the crossings would have become an "infrequent phenomenon" by now.

She has since called the figures "appalling" and levelled blame at her counterparts on the continent as she revealed the UK and French governments were locked in a row over the interpretation of maritime law.

The Sunday Telegraph reported France wants £30m to cover the costs of increased policing to stop the migrants crossing into English waters.

It also claims ministers are looking into chartering spy planes and drones.

Witness describes seeing the arrival of migrants in a dinghy on a beach in Kent

Migrants beach landing 'was a mad show'
Bridget Chapman, spokeswoman for the Kent Refugee Action Network, said the government's handling of the situation is "increasingly chaotic".

"Nothing they have done so far has worked," she said.

"They have spent millions of pounds of taxpayers' money fortifying the port at Calais, have increased patrols in the Channel, and are now escalating a failing strategy by calling in the military to deal with a humanitarian situation.

"Priti Patel has said that she wants to make the Channel 'unviable' for people attempting to cross. But what is unviable is her approach."

Moment migrants found hiding in car roof box

British family find migrants in their car roof box
A government source told Sky News earlier this weekend that a "passive blockade" in the Channel was being considered.

Immigration minister Chris Philp will meet his French counterparts next week as he seeks to shut down the Calais-to-Britain route completely.

Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover, is calling for migrants to be returned to France irrespective of whether they are picked up in British or French waters.

Nick Gibb says France is a safe country for asylum

'France is a safe country for asylum'
Recent calm conditions on the sea have prompted a huge surge in people trying to make the journey.

Kent County Council has said that 400 migrant children have been taken into its care this year, including 60 in the first week of August and 23 on Friday alone.

https://news.sky.com/story/number-o...-in-small-boats-tops-4-000-this-year-12045832
 
A political row between the UK and France over migrant crossings in the Channel has intensified, with Britain's immigration minister saying the "unacceptable" increase in numbers "simply cannot go on".

Chris Philp is due to meet his French counterpart in Paris on Tuesday to discuss stronger measures, including "interceptions and returns".

It comes as 151 migrants reached the UK on Saturday - taking the total since 1 January to 4,100.

While southeast England basked in roasting sunshine on Sunday, a dozen people arrived in Dover after making the dangerous crossing.

Border Force representatives meet migrants at Kingsdown in Kent

Mr Philp said the UK government wants to make the route across the Channel "completely unviable" so migrants "have no incentive to come to northern France or attempt the crossing in the first place".

"We intend to return as many migrants who have arrived as possible," he added.

"There are returns flights planned in the coming days. And we will also continue to go after the heinous criminals and organised crime networks putting people's lives at risk."

The government has asked the Navy for help and a former Royal Marine has been appointed "clandestine Channel threat commander" to try and cut down the numbers.

Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed last year that the crossings would have become an "infrequent phenomenon" by now.

She has since called the figures "appalling" and levelled blame at her counterparts on the continent as she revealed the UK and French governments were locked in a row over the interpretation of maritime law.

The Sunday Telegraph reported France wants £30m to cover the costs of increased policing to stop the migrants crossing into English waters.

It also claims ministers are looking into chartering spy planes and drones.

Witness describes seeing the arrival of migrants in a dinghy on a beach in Kent

Migrants beach landing 'was a mad show'

Bridget Chapman, spokeswoman for the Kent Refugee Action Network, said the government's handling of the situation is "increasingly chaotic".

"Nothing they have done so far has worked," she said.

"They have spent millions of pounds of taxpayers' money fortifying the port at Calais, have increased patrols in the Channel, and are now escalating a failing strategy by calling in the military to deal with a humanitarian situation.

"Priti Patel has said that she wants to make the Channel 'unviable' for people attempting to cross. But what is unviable is her approach."

Moment migrants found hiding in car roof box

British family find migrants in their car roof box
A government source told Sky News earlier this weekend that a "passive blockade" in the Channel was being considered.

Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover, is calling for migrants to be returned to France irrespective of whether they are picked up in British or French waters.

Recent calm conditions on the sea have prompted a huge surge in people trying to make the journey.

Kent County Council has said that 400 migrant children have been taken into its care this year, including 60 in the first week of August and 23 on Friday alone.

https://news.sky.com/story/number-o...-in-small-boats-tops-4-000-this-year-12045832
 
Yes. We don't want more immigrants, Britain is a small island and we live in relative harmony and enjoy a good climate. Immigrants could easily do the same in their own countries if they had the right attitude.
 
But we cannot let them drown and dump them back, can we?
 
MenInG said:
But we cannot let them drown and dump them back, can we?
Click to expand...

I think the UK voter base would prefer that yes. These people need to understand that they are putting the lives of themselves and their families at risk and full responsibility lies with them. I have no intent to sound callous, but British people cannot be held responsible for their follies.
 
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said irregular migrant crossings of the English Channel, which have hit record numbers, were "very bad and stupid and dangerous" on the eve of talks in Paris.

Chris Philp, the British immigration minister, will visit the French capital on Tuesday to urge the local authorities to step up efforts to prevent migrants from setting off on the irregular voyages.

"Be in no doubt what's going on is the activity of cruel and criminal gangs who are risking the lives of these people taking them across the Channel, a pretty dangerous stretch of water in potentially unseaworthy vessels," Johnson said during a visit to a London school on Monday.

"We want to stop that, working with the French, make sure that they understand that this isn't a good idea, this is a very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do."

The prime minister said he wanted to change current British legislation that he said made it "very, very difficult" to deport migrants "even though blatantly they've come here illegally".

More than 4,000 migrants have arrived irregularly in the United Kingdom via the English Channel since the beginning of the year, including about 600 since last Thursday.
 
Boris Johnson is such a flake. Why is he blaming criminal gangs for risking the lives of these immigrants? They are not risking any lives, they are only making money. The risk is 100% taken by those who choose to get in boats which might end up in death by drowning.

This view is unlikely to win an POW awards, but the lack of rebuttal will be it's own testimony to the truth of it.
 
I have observed this in US. An immigrant is always against inflow of other immigrants. There is a saying. People come to US as democrats and as soon as they get Green Card they become Republicans. It’s the same in U.K. too.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Yes. We don't want more immigrants, Britain is a small island and we live in relative harmony and enjoy a good climate. Immigrants could easily do the same in their own countries if they had the right attitude.
Click to expand...

Surely you mean illegal immigrants?
 
OldWarHorse said:
Surely you mean illegal immigrants?
Click to expand...

Yes you are correct, in the context of this conversation I am of course referring to illegal immigrants. Should a well qualified German or Australian professional apply for legal stay here, then I am sure that the British public would accept them gladly for the skills they bring to the table.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This simply isn’t journalism and I hope this NEVER happens again <a href="https://t.co/wbSOSwQqkS">https://t.co/wbSOSwQqkS</a></p>— Clive Lewis MP (@labourlewis) <a href="https://twitter.com/labourlewis/status/1292930741148561409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

What on earth.
 
Lol at one of the replies to that tweet from Mr Pebbleface:

"It's like the Dunkirk spirit. They should get a heroes welcome"
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">You can clearly hear the people in the dinghy protesting being filmed as she approaches, thumb aloft - “Please no camera”. And, recklessly, their small boat is dragged into the wake of Sky’s. First the media dehumanises people fleeing desperation situations. Now we endanger them. <a href="https://t.co/20euDSbyD8">https://t.co/20euDSbyD8</a></p>— Barry Malone (@malonebarry) <a href="https://twitter.com/malonebarry/status/1293151757015670786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Give refugees crossing Channel a chance, say Windrush survivors

Survivors of the Windrush scandal have attacked the home secretary, saying her approach to the Channel migrant crossings is creating “the same set of conditions” that led to the government victimising the children of Commonwealth immigrants.

A letter to Priti Patel from 100 prominent refugee and human rights campaigners, including members of the Windrush generation, warns that the “pattern of ignoring expert advice, failing to engage with civil society and branding migrants as criminal” replicates Home Office failings that caused the 2018 Windrush scandal.

They also believe Patel’s hard-nosed strategy contravenes a central recommendation from the Windrush Lessons Learned Review that urges the Home Office to implement policies based on evidence and transparent decision-making.

Among the signatories is Michael Braithwaite, who arrived from Barbados as a child in 1961 and lost his job as a special needs teaching assistant two years ago for not having an up-to-date identity document. The 68-year-old said: “The Home Office doesn’t care. They need to give people a chance. They’re making a life-threatening journey – babies, mums and kids.”

More than 4,000 people have successfully crossed the Channel in boats this year, which Patel said was “appalling”, and the prime minister, Boris Johnson, called “very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal”.

The letter, dated 14 August and whose signatories include the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Oxfam, Liberty, Refugee Action and the Runnymede Trust, also condemns Home Office officials and Patel for attempting to discredit lawyers who represent asylum seekers.

Patel told Tory MPs last week that the asylum system was being “exploited by leftie Labour-supporting lawyers” who were stopping the government removing people.

The letter also points out that Patel’s attitude to asylum seekers is typified by last week’s response of a senior Home Office source to criticism from the ice-cream makers Ben and Jerry’s. After the firm urged her to show more “humanity” and reminded her that “people cannot be illegal”, the source accused it of selling “overpriced junk food”.

James Cleverly, a Foreign Office minister, then tweeted: “Can I have a large scoop of statistically inaccurate virtue signalling with my grossly overpriced ice-cream, please?”

Government and ministerial statements have also repeatedly labelled the crossings illegal, which the letter reminds Patel is inaccurate. Also signed by Bail for Immigration Detainees, Praxis, Safe Passage, Detention Action and Help Refugees, the letter, states: “To brand this as ‘illegal’ or ‘criminal’ activity is irresponsible and wrong, and is precisely the same rhetoric that led to the wrongful detention and deportation of the Windrush generation.

“The government must stop using such language and misstating the law.”

It highlighted the fact that the foreign affairs select committee – when Patel was a member – and the Windrush inquiry by Wendy Williams pointed out the dangers of wrongly using the language of criminality.

It also states: “It is precisely the refusal to listen to evidence and advice, the refusal to recognise the humanity of those affected, and the same attitude which treats outside expertise and knowledge as opposition, which has led to chaos and dysfunction in the Home Office.”

The UN’s refugee agency last night voiced dismay over the UK government’s posturing on an issue that most experts say involves only small numbers in asylum terms. Laura Padoan, of the UNHCR, said senior government figures needed to avoid “escalating tensions with inflammatory rhetoric and responses that are not proportionate to the scale of what’s happening”. The UN’s migration agency, the IOM, also cautioned that the government’s populist language hardened attitudes and could “feed into xenophobic narratives”.

Although more than 4,000 people have crossed the Channel in at least 300 boats so far this year the UK received 35,566 asylum applications last year, while France received 123,900 and Germany 142,500.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ssing-channel-a-chance-say-windrush-survivors
 
A 16-year-old boy has been found dead on a beach in Calais.

The Sudanese migrant, who disappeared at sea, was found on the beach of Sangatte on Wednesday morning.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said the incident was an "upsetting and tragic loss of a young life".

She added: "This horrendous incident serves as a brutal reminder of the abhorrent criminal gangs and people smugglers who exploit vulnerable people.

"Working together we are determined to stop them."

Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action, described the teenager's death as "horrifying".

She said: "It is devastating to learn that a child has now died in the Channel while trying to seek safety in the UK.

"This is a horrifying but wholly expected death.

"We have repeatedly warned Priti Patel it was only a matter of time before her toxic policy to deny safe and legal routes to the UK would cost lives.

"This death lies firmly at her door. She should consider her position."

Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, said the boy's death demonstrates the "total failure of our government" to help children in such desperate straits.

She said: "We are absolutely devastated by the unnecessary death of this child. We can only imagine the fear he felt and our hearts go out to his family.

"These young boys in Calais are our friends. They are fun to be with despite the horrors they have been through. Some are cheeky, some are smart, some like football, some like books. None deserve to be here and none deserve to die alone in the sea."

Meanwhile, children were among dozens of migrants who arrived in Dover on Wednesday morning.

More than 50 people were taken into the Kent port aboard a lifeboat and a Border Force vessel.

The rescue came amid urgent discussions on where to house migrant children who travel to the UK unaccompanied.

Earlier this week, it emerged that unaccompanied children seeking asylum after arriving in the UK would be left under the care of Border Force after Kent County Council announced it had reached capacity.

The situation has been described as a "scandal" and a "political failure" by charities, who have called on the government to urgently make changes.

More than 4,700 migrants have reached the UK on small vessels this year.

Ms Patel previously said the crossings would be an "infrequent phenomenon" by now and has since insisted she is working to make the route "completely unviable".

https://news.sky.com/story/sudanese-migrant-16-found-dead-on-beach-in-calais-12052342
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">HILARIOUS: A 16yr old refugee has drowned in the English Channel. Here are Daily Mail readers having a good laugh about it, calling for more and posting memes celebrating his death on their Facebook page. <a href="https://t.co/luR9sFr1Oq">pic.twitter.com/luR9sFr1Oq</a></p>— The DM Reporter (@DMReporter) <a href="https://twitter.com/DMReporter/status/1296046833274413057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
A Sudanese teenager who disappeared at sea has been found dead on a beach near Calais on Wednesday morning, after trying to cross the Channel with another boy in an inflatable dinghy using shovels for oars.

The French citizenship minister, Marlène Schiappa, said the body was found on the beach of Sangatte, near to the former site of the notorious “jungle” refugee camp, and was believed to be that of a 16-year-old boy, although some uncertainty remains over his age while authorities are continuing to investigate the matter.

The death came as tensions rise over the British government’s approach to migrant boat crossings, and a French MP blamed the tragedy on the UK’s policy of insisting asylum claims be made on its soil.

Philippe Sabatier, the deputy prosecutor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, told reporters the body was yet to be identified but was found after another young Sudanese boy who was rescued at sea reported his companion missing. The pair had attempted to make the crossing in a dinghy.

According to Sabatier, the two teenagers broke into a property and stole the inflatable and two shovels, which they intended to use as makeshift oars.

The home secretary, Priti Patel, described the incident as a “brutal reminder” of how criminal gangs exploit migrants. However, Sabatier said no people smugglers appear to have been involved.

Charles Devos, head of a Calais rescue service, said the youths were in “a small boat that you can find in supermarkets and that you inflate by mouth”.

“It would have been impossible to make the crossing in it. And with the ferries going at 22 knots, the rolls that occur after they have passed would have turned the boat upside down,” Devos said.

The search for the missing teen involved sea rescue services and a Belgian military helicopter.

At 1.09am, a regional search and rescue operational centre was alerted that a migrant was on the Sangatte beach. In a state of hypothermia, he was immediately treated and taken to hospital in Calais.

According to initial statements, the boy confirmed he was accompanied on a makeshift vessel that had capsized and his friend was still in the water and could not swim. At 8am French time, the border police was told a “lifeless body” had been found on the beach at Sangatte.

The tragedy comes as the number of people risking their lives by crossing the Dover Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, hits record highs, with more than 4,300 arrivals so far this year – more than double the total in the whole of 2019.

The UK government has been criticised by campaigners and opposition politicians for its alleged lack of compassion and competence in tackling the issue, ignoring calls from humanitarian experts to bolster safe and legal routes to the UK for those seeking asylum. Instead, ministers have sought to bring in the military to make the route “unviable”, which has involved the RAF launching large aircraft over the waters.

Pierre-Henri Dumont, a local councillor and also an MP for the Calais region for the centre-right Les Republicans, tweeted: “What we all feared, happened this night. How many more tragedies must there be for the British to find an ounce of humanity. The impossibility of lodging an asylum request in Great Britain without being physically there is leading to these tragedies. British negligence does not exonerate the French government from its own responsibility.”

NickThomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said: “The news of the death of a 16-year-old boy in the Channel is heartbreaking and our thoughts are with his loved ones.

“The government’s response to the situation in the Channel has been lacking in compassion and competence. Ministers urgently need to step up work with international partners to find a humanitarian solution to this crisis, which is costing lives.”

Laura Padoan, spokesperson for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said: “It’s tragic to hear that a 16-year-old has drowned trying to cross the English Channel.

“We’ve been warning that the priority needs to be saving lives – this shouldn’t have happened. There needs to be international cooperation on providing safe legal routes to ensure than more people don’t drown trying to seek sanctuary in the UK.”

Bella Sankey, the director of Detention Action, a campaign group, said: “It is devastating to learn that a child has now died in the Channel while trying to seek safety in the UK. This is a horrifying but wholly expected death.

“We have repeatedly warned Priti Patel it was only a matter of time before her toxic policy to deny safe and legal routes to the UK would cost lives. This death lies firmly at her door. She should consider her position.”

A Home Office source said: “On the day a young life has been lost, Detention Action should calm down their rhetoric.

“The UK’s resettlement schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people, who have been given the chance to start new lives in safety.

“​In every year since 2016 we have resettled more refugees from outside Europe than any other EU member state, and we are in the top five resettlement countries worldwide.​”

The UK runs the global resettlement scheme, which consolidated a number of other programmes including one targeting Syrians. The scheme aims to resettle about 5,000 refugees in its first year but has been suspended due to the pandemic.

Patel, who is reportedly working on a so-called “fairer borders bill” to make it harder for people to claim asylum in the UK, said the death was “an upsetting and tragic loss of a young life”.

She added: “This horrendous incident serves as a brutal reminder of the abhorrent criminal gangs and people smugglers who exploit vulnerable people. Working together, we are determined to stop them.”

More than 50 people were taken into the Kent port on Wednesday morning onboard a lifeboat and a Border Force vessel.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ager-found-dead-on-beach-near-calais-sangatte
 
Read an interview with an Iranian refugee in the Times today who is currently being hosted in the north of England. He describes his terror at crossing the channel in a boat which was not fit for deep water travel, but then he also didn't want to give his name because he was an anti-regime activist in Iran.

For me then, people like this are taking their own lives into their hands knowingly, they put their own lives and their families lives at risk at home when they don't need to, and when they come to the west, they are counting on us to give them shelter and housing when they reach here. It is not our responsibility if they drown en route.
 
If UK is going to assist in blowing up countries, UK must take in some refugee families. (Groups of young men leaving authoritarian regimes so they gain the freedom to drink and chase girls are not refugees in my book.)

France is taking three times as many refugees as UK and Germany eight times as many.

The Tory gov is using these poor wretches as a distraction from their terrible record on COVID and the economy. Most fatalities in Europe and worst recession in the G8, with likely hard Brexit to deepen it further.
 
Robert said:
If UK is going to assist in blowing up countries, UK must take in some refugee families. (Groups of young men leaving authoritarian regimes so they gain the freedom to drink and chase girls are not refugees in my book.)

France is taking three times as many refugees as UK and Germany eight times as many.

The Tory gov is using these poor wretches as a distraction from their terrible record on COVID and the economy. Most fatalities in Europe and worst recession in the G8, with likely hard Brexit to deepen it further.
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But it's usually the anti-regime types who support the UK and their allied forces in bombing their country, so surely they are the ones who should be responsible for then staying that country and rebuilding it rather than approving the devastation of their country then running over here?
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
But it's usually the anti-regime types who support the UK and their allied forces in bombing their country, so surely they are the ones who should be responsible for then staying that country and rebuilding it rather than approving the devastation of their country then running over here?
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I would just want to get my family away from the war zone and to a safe country.

I might return when peace is restored.
 
Robert said:
I would just want to get my family away from the war zone and to a safe country.

I might return when peace is restored.
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Peace is restored by who? NATO doesn't have the time or resources to police these states, and govts which are installed after bombing need the support of these people who should be building the nation they yearned for.

If you are anti- regime and support the bombing of your country, at least stick around and help NATO to make a success of it.
 
Some of these migrants may be escaping persecution where as many are economic migrants and even criminals. Yes the UK is doing the right thing here. They will keep arriving in thousands if some action is not taken. They have to be discouraged.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Peace is restored by who? NATO doesn't have the time or resources to police these states, and govts which are installed after bombing need the support of these people who should be building the nation they yearned for.

If you are anti- regime and support the bombing of your country, at least stick around and help NATO to make a success of it.
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If I were a young single man I might agree. But my first loyalty now is safety of wife and family.
 
Robert said:
If I were a young single man I might agree. But my first loyalty now is safety of wife and family.
Click to expand...

Not sure putting your wife and family on a flimsy boat to cross the channel would be doing much for their safety though.

In any case, the argument against illegal immigrants/refugees is mainly that we don't have room for them here. I would say that is the consensus of opinion, it isn't a lack of sympathy for their plight or poor living standards.
 
A lot of them are economic migrants from countries where there are no wars.

I know many Bangladeshis come to Europe illegally even though Bangladesh is not involved in any war. This type of illegals should be deported without a question.

Having said that, genuinely vulnerable ones (women, children, old people etc.) should be allowed in.
 
Number of migrants crossing Channel in boats passes 5,000

The number of migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats this year has passed 5,000, analysis shows, as the UK government continues to pursue a “militarised” response to the growing numbers.

A further five people arrived in England on Friday, risking their lives in force 8 gales, rain showers and rough seas. It is understood the five men presented themselves as Sudanese and Chadian nationals, and were brought into Dover to be questioned by immigration officials.

Analysis by PA Media shows the total number of migrant boat arrivals for 2020 exceeds 5,000, more than double the 1,900 known to have made the 21-mile trip last year.

The milestone was passed after a Sudanese asylum seeker, Abdulfatah Hamdallah, drowned in the Channel on Wednesday, when the supermarket-bought dinghy he was in was punctured by the shovels being used as makeshift oars.

The UK government continues to pursue a hardline approach to the crossings, focusing on making the route “unviable” despite humanitarian experts saying the only way to reduce the crossings is to improve safe and legal routes to the UK for asylum seekers.

The recently appointed clandestine channel threat commander, Dan O’Mahoney, revealed late on Thursday that British and French authorities were talking about increasing surveillance of the waters, including with aerial support and more patrols in northern France.

The Royal Air Force has already launched aircraft over the strait of Dover to help Border Force officials spot people attempting the crossing, following a request from the Home Office for military assistance.

The different approaches to the rise in crossings by the UK and French governments have led to increased tensions between the countries, with one Calais MP blaming the death of Hamdallah on the UK’s policy of insisting asylum claims be made on British soil. The Labour party has accused the government of lacking “compassion and competence” in its approach and attempting to “militarise” the response to a humanitarian crisis.

While the latest tally of small-boat arrivals in the UK is a record, it is still lower than other European countries, and is likely to have resulted in a drop in crossings made by other means, such as on lorries or ferries.

According to the UN refugee agency, there have been 16,942 sea arrivals in Italy so far in 2020, as well as 10,875 in Spain and 8,697 in Greece.

The number of arrivals across the Channel is dwarfed by overall immigration to the UK: 677,000 people moved to the country in 2019.

Home Office data shows there were about 36,000 asylum applications made in the UK last year. This compares with 165,615 asylum applications in Germany, 151,070 in France, 117,800 in Spain and 77,275 in Greece in the same period, according to Eurostat.

In the year to March 2020, 20,339 people were offered protection by the UK in the form of being granted asylum, humanitarian protection or alternative forms of leave and resettlement.

Declared nationalities of migrants intercepted by Border Force have included: Iraqi, Iranian, Sudanese, Yemeni, Syrian, Eritrean, Kuwaiti, Tajikstani, Vietnamese, Guinean, Malian, Ethiopian, Turkish, Afghan, Palestinian, Sri Lankan, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Pakistani, Chadian, Somali, Togolese, Nigerian, Libyan, South Sudanese, Albanian and Chinese.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...igrants-crossing-channel-in-boats-passes-5000
 
The death of a woman whose one-year-old child was reportedly found malnourished beside her body is being investigated.

Mercy Baguma, originally from Uganda, was discovered in a flat in Glasgow on Saturday 22 August after the sounds of her son crying were heard.

A police spokesperson said her death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious.

Refugee charity Positive Action in Housing said Ms Baguma had claimed asylum and lived in "extreme poverty".

It said she lost her job after her right to work in the UK expired.

Her son was found next to his mother, crying and "weakened from several days of starvation" according to Robina Qureshi, director of Positive Action in Housing.

The boy was taken to hospital and discharged on Monday 24 August, and is now staying with his father.

The charity said Ms Baguma had contacted them several weeks ago saying she did not have enough money to look after herself or her child.

Another charity, African Challenge Scotland, posted video on social media of Ms Baguma thanking its volunteers for delivering food in early June.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "This is a tragic situation and our condolences go to Ms Baguma's family."

They added: "The Home Office takes the wellbeing of all those in the asylum system extremely seriously, and we will be conducting a full investigation into Ms Baguma's case."

Friends and relatives became concerned for their welfare when communication with Ms Baguma ceased on Tuesday 18 August.

Ms Qureshi said: "Why are mothers and babies being left to go hungry in this city, and why is it being left to charities and volunteers to pick up the pieces?"

She added: "Would this mother be alive if she was not forced out of her job by this cruel system that stops you from working and paying your way because a piece of paper says your leave to remain has expired? I'm sure Mercy's son will want to ask this and other questions once he is old enough."

Call for inquiry
Positive Action in Housing said Ms Baguma's death was the latest tragedy to hit Glasgow's refugee community in less than four months.

One man was shot dead after stabbing six people including a police officer at the Park Inn hotel on Friday 26 June.

At the start of May, a 30-year-old Syrian refugee, Adnan Walid Elbi, was found dead in his room in temporary hotel accommodation in Glasgow.

Glasgow City Council's convenor for equalities and human rights, Jen Layden, said: "The tragic death of a young mum is devastating and my heart goes out to Mercy's family and friends - including her young son - at this sad time."

She added: "We are currently trying to establish the full facts of Mercy's case and await additional information from the Home Office and Mears."

Positive Action in Housing has repeated calls for an independent inquiry into asylum seeker accommodation during the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-53904251
 
The Italian coastguard has helped a rescue boat funded by British street artist Banksy after the vessel became stranded in the Mediterranean Sea.

The boat was unable to move due to an overcrowded deck after picking up 219 migrants off the Libyan coast since Thursday.

The crew said on Twitter they were close to declaring "a state of emergency" as the already-crowded ship had lent assistance to a boat with 130 migrants and a dead body onboard.

The crew claimed European officials ignored repeated calls for help - but the Italian coastguard has since told Sky News that one of its ships has taken on board 49 "of the most vulnerable" refugees, including 32 women, 13 children and four men.

Used to help migrants in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe from North Africa, the 31-metre-long motor yacht, which is a former French navy boat, features some of Banksy's trademark work, including a girl in a life vest holding a heart-shaped safety buoy.

The artist reportedly asked the former captain of several NGO rescue boats, Pia Klemp, to use his money to fund "a new boat," which was named Louise Michel after a 19th-century female French anarchist and teacher.

On Friday morning, the crew posted on the boat's official Twitter page that they had rescued 89 people, including 14 women and four children, and were seeking a place of safety for them to disembark.

That evening, it said it lent assistance to another overcrowded boat, which was filling with water, had a dead body onboard and many more suffering fuel burns.

"Louise Michel just responded to a mayday relay by #Moonbird aircraft for a rubber boat in distress that had no movement & was taking in water," the tweet read.

"Louise Michel proceeded at full possible speed & handed out life vests to 130 people to secure the situation. Authorities, your turn."

The crew said they put emergency calls out to agencies from Germany, Malta and Italy but were ignored.

They wrote on Twitter on Saturday: "#LouiseMichel is unable to move, she is no longer the master of her manoeuver, due to her overcrowded deck and a liferaft deployed at her side, but above all due to Europe ignoring our emergency calls for immediate assistance."

"We repeat, #LouiseMichel is unable to safely move and nobody is coming to our aid. The people rescued have experienced extreme trauma, it's time for them to be brought to a #PlaceOfSafety. We need immediate assistance."

The crew posted a video of the overcrowded boat, writing: "These are the survivors you are turning your back on #EU. After escaping untold horror and inhumanity they need a place of safety."

A crew of 10 European activists are on the Louise Michel, which last week left Burriana in Spain and had sailed to an area about 90 miles southeast of the Italian island of Lampedusa.

It can carry a maximum of 120 passengers.

Banksy posted a promotional video on his official Instagram page, with the words "Like most people who make it in the art world, I bought a yacht to cruise the Med" overlaid with pictures of Louise Michel and migrants in distress.

"It's a French navy vessel we converted into a lifeboat because EU authorities deliberately ignore distress calls from 'non-Europeans'," the video continued.

The ship's launch on 18 August was kept secret and news of the mission has only been released following its first rescue.

While it is fairly small, the yacht has a top speed of 27 knots and so is considerably faster than other NGO rescue vessels.

On Wednesday, 45 people - including five children - died when the engine on their boat exploded off Libya, in the country's deadliest shipwreck this year.

Over 7,600 migrants have been discovered at sea and returned to Libya so far this year, according to figures from the International Organisation for Migration.

https://news.sky.com/story/banksy-f...became-stranded-in-mediterranean-sea-12059020
 
Former England footballer Gary Lineker is set to welcome a refugee to live in his home with him.

The 59-year-old has been consistently critical of the government's response to migrants crossing the English Channel.

In August, the Match Of The Day host said the government had been "heartless and completely without empathy" in its response.

Lineker is now preparing to welcome a refugee into his home, according to The Daily Mirror.

It comes after a record 409 people reached the UK after crossing the Channel on Wednesday.

Migrants on beach with border force officers.

Lineker told the newspaper he would have a home visit from the charity Refugees at Home to assess his house.

He said he did not know who his new guest would be or where they are from.

"I have had so much connection with refugees over the last couple of years," he told The Daily Mirror.

"I have met scores of young refugees through football schemes and they are genuinely lovely kids and they appreciate any help they can get.

"I'm sure it will be fine. I have been thinking of doing something like that for a while.

"My kids are all grown up so I've got plenty of room, so if I can help on a temporary basis then I'm more than happy to do so. Why not?"

Conservative MP Lee Anderson last month accusing Lineker of "virtue signalling", saying he should take in "the next boat of illegal immigrants".

He responded by posting a screenshot of his email from Refugees at Home.

https://news.sky.com/story/gary-lin...elcome-a-refugee-to-live-in-his-home-12062112
 
Brexit: EU rejects UK proposal for reuniting child asylum seekers

The EU has rejected a British proposal for a system to reunite children seeking asylum with their families in the UK or Europe, prompting warnings that more young people will risk their lives in dangerous Channel crossings.

The government had proposed a post-Brexit agreement to continue transfers of unaccompanied child asylum seekers to families living in either the UK or EU, although with no obligation on either side.

An EU official said the bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, would not take this forward as part of current talks due to end in late October because “this is not in the EU mandate”.

The EU’s 27 governments agreed Barnier’s negotiating mandate in February but set out only vague aspirations for “cooperation” and “dialogue” on dealing with people fleeing war, repression and poverty.

EU states have shown little appetite to rewrite Barnier’s mandate on child asylum seekers, because they perceive the British plan as offering little. “It doesn’t bring much added value, we suspect it’s more about sending people back,” said a second EU official, who added that any way forward was likely to be via bilateral agreements between the UK and individual EU states.

The EU rejected a broader migration pact, including adults, for similar reasons.

Beth Gardiner-Smith, the chief executive of Safe Passage, said the absence of any agreement would be “pretty catastrophic” for the child refugees her NGO supports. “These are unaccompanied children in Greece, in France, in other parts of Europe who have family in the UK and a legal right to unite with those family members.”

She fears many will feel they have no choice but to undertake dangerous Channel crossings or other risky journeys. “Without safe and legal routes to join their loved ones, to reunite with family, they are more likely to seek alternative routes and they are often dangerous routes and exploitative routes.”

In 2019, 312 children requested asylum in the UK through family reunion under the EU’s Dublin regulation.

Safe Passage argues that relying on international asylum law is no substitute for a formal transfer system on family reunion. “We would urge the UK government – if this is it – they absolutely need to bring forward primary legislation to protect the rights of these unaccompanied children because otherwise, unfortunately, we will just see more children risking their lives,” Gardiner-Smith said.

In particular NGOs are calling on the government to back an amendment to the immigration bill from the Labour peer Lord Dubs that would enshrine in UK law the right to family reunion for asylum seekers, as it exists under EU law.

A Home Office spokesperson did not respond to questions about the EU decision not to pursue the British proposal on child reunion, or whether it would seek bilateral deals, but instead highlighted the government’s criticisms of EU migration rules. “The government’s efforts to facilitate entirely legitimate and legal returns of people who have entered the UK through illegal routes are too often frustrated by rigid EU returns regulations and last-minute challenges submitted hours before a scheduled flight. These claims are very often baseless and entirely without merit, but are given full legal consideration, leading to removal being rescheduled.”

The topic of family reunion for children is not on the agenda of any upcoming negotiation rounds, including the next starting in London on Monday. Neither do EU negotiators plan to discuss a separate British proposal to return asylum seekers to the European country they arrived in. “Member states have taken note and decided not to engage based on the UK proposal,” said the first EU source.

Countries including Italy and Greece, the arrival points for large numbers of refugees and migrants, had opposed any deal with the UK before the EU changes its migration policy. Later this month the EU executive is expected to propose a long-awaited overhaul of EU asylum law, but agreement will be fraught with difficulties.

After 1.1 million refugees and migrants arrived in Europe in 2015, officials proposed a change intended to ease the pressure on frontline Mediterranean states. Deadlock among member states meant the proposals were shelved. Citing the EU’s impending overhaul, an EU political source said: “I would be very surprised if in this context the EU applies the Dublin system to the UK, a third state.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...itish-proposal-reuniting-child-asylum-seekers
 
EU's Michel says relocation no silver bullet to migration feuds

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe must improve migration procedures on its external borders, seal more deals with foreign countries and synchronise asylum policies in the bloc before it tackles the thorny issue of hosting asylum seekers, a top EU official said on Friday.

European Council President Charles Michel, who chairs summits of EU leaders, spoke to Reuters and five other European news agencies as the bloc prepares to have a fresh go at reforming its troubled asylum laws.

The system all but collapsed amidst a surge in arrivals of those fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa with more than a million people reaching the EU in 2015. This fuelled support for eurosceptic and nationalist groups, as well as contributing to Brexit.

“It’s not easy, it’s a difficult question and a difficult topic,” Michel said. “Let’s start with some initiatives which will help us be more efficient and maybe decrease political sensitivity of some other topics.”

By the latter, he meant deep rifts among the 27 EU countries over how to care for refugees and migrants.

Under the EU’s now-defunct rules, the southern states of arrival like Italy, Malta or Greece are responsible but they were quickly overwhelmed at the height of the sea arrivals season.

Countries opposed to immigration, such as Poland and Hungary, as well as Austria, however, refuse to help by hosting some of those people.

Years of such disputes damaged the EU’s cohesion, as well as leading it to tighten its external borders and asylum policies.

Read more:

“POISONOUS”

That has cut the numbers crossing the Mediterranean on unsafe dinghies but also drawn fire from rights groups over drownings and “Fortress Europe” denying help to those in need.

The bloc’s executive now wants overhaul of EU asylum law.

Sources told Reuters the proposal would still include obligatory relocation of asylum seekers among all member states at times of major immigration spikes, the element previously vehemently rejected by several states.

While the Commission’s proposal is expected at the end of September at the earliest, Michel said member states should first work more on external borders and clinching deals with foreign capitals under which the EU offers money and assistance in exchange for them hosting migrants and refugees rather than letting them embark for Europe.

Michel also proposed convergence of asylum benefits across the EU, where rich countries like Germany and Sweden are the most desired destinations, which contributes to uneven distribution of people across the bloc.

“Mandatory relocation is not the alpha and omega of the migration discussion. These threee points are more important,” he said.

Germany, which now holds the EU’s rotating presidency, hopes to get before the end of the year a “political road map” for a future deal to end rows over migration at a time when the EU faces challenges in its ties with Russia, China, Turkey and the United States.

Stressing how tall an order that would be, a senior EU diplomat told Reuters: “We are very far away from any sort of consensus. For different political reasons, the matter is still completely poisonous.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ilver-bullet-to-migration-feuds-idUSKBN25V2KD
 
Anti-migrant protesters have clashed with police and blocked a dual carriageway into Dover.

Rival groups have assembled in the coastal town in Kent to demonstrate over the arrival of thousands of migrants in small boats.

Traffic on the A20 was at a standstill in both directions after protesters assembled on the road in large numbers.

Many wore Union flag face masks and carried banners, while some shouted "England til I die" and sang Rule, Britannia.

At one point several officers were seen restraining a person on the ground.

There have been other sporadic clashes with the group of at least 50 police officers by the A20.

Earlier, a group of around 60 people shouting anti-migrant slogans were seen moving along Dover seafront.

It is thought that groups from across the country have travelled to Dover.

Meanwhile, pro-migrant activists gathered in Market Square in the town in a demonstration organised by Kent Anti Racism Network.

Addressing a crowd of about 100, Peter Keenan from Kent Refugee Help said when society sees people who are fleeing war and turns them away "that says something about the state of your society".

He continued: "We are not those people. We are standing up and welcoming people who are in desperate circumstances fleeing from awful situations."

On Friday night the words "Rise above fear. Refugees welcome" were beamed on to the White Cliffs of Dover by humanitarian charity Freedom From Torture.

More than 1,450 migrants arrived in the UK by small boats in August - believed to be the record for a single month - according to analysis.

Migrants on beach with border force officers.

Last month also saw a new single-day record for migrant arrivals, with 416 migrants crossing the English Channel to reach UK shores in small boats on Wednesday.

Downing Street said that the figure was "completely unacceptable".

Home Secretary Priti Patel recently vowed to make the route "completely unviable" for those crossing the Channel to seek asylum

https://news.sky.com/story/anti-imm...k-a20-into-dover-12064284?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
 
The European Union is set to detail new, mandatory measures on managing migration, which has challenged the unity of the bloc for several years.
The German-backed migration pact is expected to provide funding for member states in return for hosting refugees.
It is also expected to focus on how EU states can share the task of taking in those arriving on Europe's shores.
But, as in previous years, the new proposals are likely to face opposition from some member states.
Ever since the influx of migrants and refugees in 2015, mainly via Italy and Greece, the EU's 27 states have been divided over their response.
Italy and Greece have accused wealthier northern countries of failing to do enough, but a number of Central and Eastern European nations have been openly resistant to the idea of taking in a quota of migrants.
What's in the plan?
The so-called "Mandatory Solidarity Mechanism" will oblige each member state to accept a number of refugees in return for a reported €10,000 (£9,200; $11,750) per adult and €12,000 for an unaccompanied child. Those EU states that fail to honour the pact could face court proceedings and large fines.
The new pact, which has been pushed most strongly by Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel, has been brought forward following fires on the Greek island of Lesbos that left more than 12,000 migrants and refugees stranded.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54249312.
 
The home secretary has promised to deliver the "biggest overhaul of our asylum system in decades", with legislation to be brought forward next year.

Speaking at the Conservative Party's virtual conference, Priti Patel described the current system as "broken" and vowed to replace it with one that is "firm and fair".

She said that those who defended the current system - "the traffickers, the do-gooders, the leftie lawyers, the Labour Party" are "defending the indefensible".

But Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: "The Tories talk about a broken immigration system, but they have been in power for a decade and are the political party that broke it.

"Recent experience suggests they have not learned any lessons at all, with unconscionable, absurd proposals about floating walls and creating waves in the English Channel to push back boats and sending people thousands of miles away to process claims.

"The truth is the Tories are devoid of compassion and competence."

More than 6,000 migrants have arrived in the UK on small boats so far this year, figures show, despite the government previously promising to make the route from France to England "unviable".

In her speech, the home secretary accused government opponents of propagating a "false narrative that Conservatives do not have a proud history of providing a safe haven to those most in need".

She said that under Conservative leadership, the UK "has and always will provide sanctuary when the lights are being switched off on people's liberties".

"A fair asylum system should provide a safe haven to those fleeing persecution, oppression or tyranny," Ms Patel said.

"But ours doesn't. Because our asylum system is fundamentally broken. And we have a responsibility to act."

The home secretary said the new system would be "fair and compassionate towards those who need our help" and "fair by welcoming people through safe and legal routes".

But she said it would be "firm" in stopping the "abuse of the broken system", such as people who "come here illegally making endless legal claims to remain" and speeding up the "removal of those who have no claim for protection".

"After decades of inaction by successive governments we will address the moral, legal and practical problems with the asylum system. Because what exists now is neither firm nor fair," Ms Patel continued.

"And I will bring forward legislation to deliver on that commitment next year.

"I will take every necessary step to fix this broken system, amounting to the biggest overhaul of our asylum system in decades."

The home secretary added: "I will not be complicit in an international criminal trade in asylum seekers, elbowing the most vulnerable to the side.

"Reform the system, prosecute the criminals, protect the vulnerable - that is what a firm, but fair asylum system should look like, and that is what I intend to deliver."

The home secretary acknowledged that such an overhaul "will take time" and pledged to "accelerate" the government's response to illegal migration in the meantime.

Ms Patel also said she recognised that the plans would provoke criticism and controversy, saying: "No doubt those who are well-rehearsed in how to play and profit from the broken system will lecture us on their grand theories about human rights."

But she made clear her determination to stand firm, adding: "If at times it means being unpopular on Twitter. I will bear it.

"If at times it means Tony Blair's spin doctor mocking my accent. So be it," she said, referring to an Alastair Campbell tweet mocking her Essex accent and penchant for dropping her Gs.

"And if at times it means Labour Members of Parliament attempting to silence me because I do not conform to their idea of what an ethnic minority woman should stand for. I will stomach it.

"Because as Conservatives, we do not measure the depth of our compassion in two hundred and eighty characters on Twitter, but in the actions we take and the choices we make."

The Home Office's top civil servant said earlier this week that "everything is on the table" when it comes to "improving" the UK's asylum system.

Appearing in front of MPs on the Commons Public Accounts Committee, permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft repeatedly refused to deny reports that the government has considered sending asylum seekers to isolated islands 4,000 miles from the UK while their applications are processed.

He also refused to answer direct questions on whether disused ferries could be turned into processing centres.

https://news.sky.com/story/home-sec...ystem-in-decades-12089951?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
 
Seven people were detained when military forces stormed a tanker suspected to have been hijacked off the Isle of Wight.

Sixteen members of the Special Boat Service (SBS) ended a 10-hour standoff which started when stowaways on board the Liberian-registered Nave Andromeda reportedly became violent.

The stowaways, believed to be Nigerians seeking UK asylum, were handed over to Hampshire Police on Sunday night.

The 22 crew members were found safe.

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said British forces descended on to the vessel by rope from four Royal Navy helicopters after nightfall.

"The seven stowaways - believed to be Nigerians seeking asylum in the UK - were detained and handed over to Hampshire Police," he said.
 
A Kurdish-Iranian family, who died when their migrant boat capsized in the English Channel, were warned not to undertake the perilous voyage because of bad weather conditions.

Rasoul Iran-Nejad and his wife Shiva Mohammed Panahi, both 35, drowned alongside two of their children, six-year-old Armin and Anita, who was nine.

A third child, Artin, who was just 15 months old, is still missing at sea.

Choman Manish said he spoke to the family most days at their makeshift home in a jungle camp on the outskirts of Dunkirk, France.

The 37-year-old Kurd from Iraq told Sky News that they were a "beautiful friendly family".

He said the family had told him of their plans to join others on a small boat, which was to set off from Dunkirk to the UK early on Tuesday morning.

Some 15 people were rescued following the sinking.

French search teams have said there is no hope of finding any more survivors from the vessel.

Mr Manish said: "I'm really so sad because I know this family. I advised them, please don't go by boat, it's not good and a really bad situation if you stay in the water.

"I said, it will be bad for you. They told me God is big. I know God is big, but what can I do.

"I told them many times, but they never accepted my word.. they trusted in God, they think God will protect them."

Mr Manish has been camped at the Dunkirk jungle for more than four months, along with more than 500 other migrants, all hoping to reach the UK.

Many in the camp are Kurdish and the news of the Channel tragedy had hit them hard.

He said: "Everyone is really sad over here. We are very sorry for hearing that, but what can we do."

Rasoul Iran-Nejad's identity was confirmed to Sky News by his brother Khalil, who lives in Erbil in Iraq.

Conditions in the French camp are squalid. The torrential rain of the last few days has turned the ground into a mud bath.

Mr Manish said people are still desperate to get across the Channel and will try by small boat, even during the winter months.

He said the people traffickers are still operating and have plenty of customers.

"Yes, they are still working and there is still many people wanting to go. They're not going to stop, when the wind is good, they try."

The 37-year-old has been on the road for four years, since leaving Iraq.

He was jailed for a year by the Greek authorities and said he had been ill-treated in several other European countries.

He has, he said, tried to reach the UK by small boat on 11 separate occasions. But each time, he was stopped before reaching the boat, or turned back in the water.

He said he now plans to abandon his dream of reaching the UK and will instead head to Belgium in the coming days, where he plans to seek asylum there.

https://news.sky.com/story/migrant-...l-were-warned-not-to-attempt-journey-12116985
 
At least 140 migrants have drowned off the coast of Senegal in the deadliest shipwreck recorded by the United Nations this year.

The boat caught fire and capsized hours after leaving the town of Mbour, about 62 miles south of the capital Dakar, for the Canary Islands on Saturday, the UN's migration agency said.

"At least 140 people have drowned after a vessel carrying around 200 migrants sank off the Senegalese coast, the deadliest shipwreck recorded in 2020," the International Organization for Migration said in a statement.

Roughly 60 people were rescued by the Senegalese and Spanish navies, as well as fisherman.

The perilous sea passage from West Africa to the Canary Islands was once a major route for those seeking an escape from poverty, and has seen a surge this year.

Spain had stepped up patrols to stop people attempting the journey, but migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands from West Africa have more than quadrupled in 2020 to around 11,000 compared with the same period last year.

Fourteen boats carrying 663 migrants left Senegal for the islands in September, the IOM said, over a quarter of which experienced an incident or shipwreck.

Migrant crisis: Supporters gather in Kent to welcome new arrivals as good weather encourages crossings
Europe's migration headache 'is getting worse quickly', says Maltese foreign minister
And in August, Spanish authorities found a boat near the Canary Islands with 10 dead migrants on board.

Last December, sunbathers stepped in to help some two dozen migrants who washed up on a beach in the islands, including three children and a pregnant woman.

Their rickety boat landed on the shores of Aguila in Gran Canaria, with those on-board having spent six days navigating the rough waters of the Atlantic.

https://news.sky.com/story/140-migr...hipwreck-so-far-this-year-un-reports-12117906
 
A crime gang which made millions smuggling migrants into Britain has been taken down after a year-long investigation, French police say.

The group, known as the Pierrefitte connection, made between €1.5m (£1.3m) and €3m (£2.7m) by smuggling people into trucks bound for the UK.

French police spent a year monitoring the gang closely and had bugged a bar in the Paris suburbs where the criminals allegedly met to discuss their plans.

Seven people were arrested in a series of raids earlier this month, ending the criminal gang's operations.

Supt Jean Arvieu, of the French Border Police, said the group operated at night and would often target migrants living in squats in Paris and the surrounding area.

Many of them were men aged between 20 and 34, he said.

"During one year of investigation we could count about 500 to 1,000 passages or attempts to cross the Channel," Mr Arvieu added.

"One night we could see a kid loaded in a truck and sometimes we have families. This is problematic.

"It shows that migrant smuggling by trucks to Great Britain is still a reality."

The group would load the migrants into trucks in the southeast of Paris, as smugglers have begun starting journeys further from the border where they are less likely to be searched.

The migrants had to pay 3,000 for the journey, helping the gang to rake in up to €3m (£2.7m).

Three people have been remanded in custody as the investigation continues.
 
At least 20 migrants have died after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean off the coast of Tunisia, officials say.

Tunisian coastguard boats retrieved the bodies off the coastal city of Sfax in central Tunisia on Thursday.

A search is continuing for at least 20 more people who are still missing.

Five survivors were rescued. The boat, with an estimated 45 people on board said to be from sub-Saharan Africa, was attempting to reach Italy.

Overloaded and in poor condition, the vessel faced strong winds that may have contributed to the sinking, National Guard spokesman Ali Ayari told the Associated Press.
 
jino said:
I have observed this in US. An immigrant is always against inflow of other immigrants. There is a saying. People come to US as democrats and as soon as they get Green Card they become Republicans. It’s the same in U.K. too.
Click to expand...

Being a republican doesn't exactly mean you are anti-immigration, I certainly am not infact liberterians (Reagan and many other Republicans identified as libertarian) are very open to immigrants of any kind


Infact look through the 90,80s lots of schemes to make illegal immigrants legal were started by Republicans (by that point the left and right switch already happened so we can't even call Republicans of that time liberals, they were conservatives)

Don't think any mainstream politician in US is truly against the very concept of immigration (even Mcconnell or Bernie) because if we look at our economy/society/ history we can't survive without immigrants period

We are too dependent on immigration to survive as a country

(Don't know this for sure but I heard Bernies interview where he was a bit hostile towards low quality immigration (basically unskilled labourers) and wanted to limit that and blamed Republicans for thier links with corporations who wanted cheap minimum wage workers) (But not saying Bernie was against immigration he just didn't want low skilled who he believes make it hard for american workers to earn competitive wages) (basically repeat of 1890s election and farmer/people's party agenda against low skilled labourers)

but he should know this idea was rejected by the people at that time and later looking back at the history we know it was the right decision cause around the same time Australia was still looking for northern/western European immigrants and was very hostile towards eastern/southern European immigrants and because of that even with all those resources they lagged behind and even now their population is much smaller than US and hell even Canada is better off in terms of economic size and stature than Australia because Canada was and still very open to ummigration (I know the gdp difference but for a tundra with really small habitable land they're killing it)

Coming to socialists and bernie

This is the reason I don't like welfare expansion in US because when we start going down that route

down the line people both left and right would raise issues against immigration (saying how much they cost, and they're feeding off,off "Americans")

Rich or poor, degree holders or unskilled labourers I believe we should welcome everyone who has the means to travel to US, we still have too much resources to be exploited and too much wealth to be made

Also after asian countries(japan,South Korea, they're working more hours to maintain their standard of living without immigration) we worked the most hours throughout the year because we are a trillion dollars economy with way less people than China or India and in order to even stay competitive we need man power in the future (for know working overtime is working but its only a temporary fix) or else we will and are getting "japaneed" out

In Uk or in Europe they may not want/need migrants but we certainly/desperately need more immigrants to stay competitive in global economy

So Americans are ignorant if they believe we can be like Europe and we have the choice to reject immigration

We don't our reality is totally different from Europe
 
The Home Office is considering plans to send asylum seekers who arrive in the UK overseas to be processed, an idea modelled on a controversial Australian system, it is understood.

Priti Patel, the home secretary, is expected to publish details next week of a scheme in which people who arrive in the UK via unofficial means, such as crossing the Channel in small boats, would be removed to a third country to have any claim dealt with.

The government has pledged repeatedly to introduce measures to try to reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving across the Channel. Australia removes arrivals to overseas islands while their claims are processed.

A Home Office source said: “Whilst people are dying making perilous journeys we would be irresponsible if we didn’t consider every avenue.”

However, the source played down reports that destinations considered included Turkey, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man or other British islands, and that talks with some countries had begun, saying this was “all speculation”.

Last year it emerged that meetings involving Patel had raised the possibility of asylum seekers being sent to Ascension Island, an isolated volcanic British territory in the south Atlantic, or St Helena, part of the same island group but 800 miles away.

At the time, Home Office sources said the proposals came when Patel sought advice from the Foreign Office on how other countries deal with asylum applications, with Australia’s system given as an example.

Labour described the Ascension Island idea as “inhumane, completely impractical and wildly expensive”.

After the Brexit transition period finished at the end of 2020, the UK government no longer had the automatic right to transfer refugees and migrants to the EU country in which they arrived, part of the European asylum system known as the Dublin regulation.

The UK government sought to replace this with a similar, post-Brexit version, but was rebuffed by the EU.

With the government facing political pressure on migrant Channel crossings from some parts of the media, and from people like Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader who frequently makes videos describing the boats as “an invasion”, Patel’s department has sought to respond.

Last year, official documents seen by the Guardian showed that trials had taken place to test a blockade in the Channel similar to Australia’s controversial “turn back the boats” tactic.

Reports at the time, denied by Downing Street, said that other methods considered to deter unofficial Channel crossings included a wave machine to push back the craft.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...rs-could-be-sent-abroad-by-uk-to-be-processed
 
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It's a blow for the UK that they cannot send the migrants back to EU countries due to Brexit. Most UK bound illegals travel there via France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Now these three countries will be only to happy to pack all the UK-bound illegals camped on their soil into trucks and ships crossing the channel, and the UK can do little.

And whoever came up with the idea of shipping them to Ascension Island? That's almost a three-week cruise from the UK by ship and a good 10-12 hours by air!
 
The Tory Party has obviously been doing its homework. This policy could be found in the BNP manifesto 15 years ago.
 
James said:
The Tory Party has obviously been doing its homework. This policy could be found in the BNP manifesto 15 years ago.
Click to expand...

Seriously?

Terrifying that such ideas now have widespread support from British voters. The Tories are embracing our worst impulses.
 
James said:
The Tory Party has obviously been doing its homework. This policy could be found in the BNP manifesto 15 years ago.
Click to expand...

Robert said:
Seriously?

Terrifying that such ideas now have widespread support from British voters. The Tories are embracing our worst impulses.
Click to expand...

Many British voters understandably wish that their country control the foreigners coming in. That is not fascism. Many people around the world fleeing dictatorships need asylum, and there are many economic migrants too. It is understandable that some Germans wanted to give a million Syrian mostly male refugees asylum. It is also understandable that some other Germans thought that their country should not take in so many foreigners.

The proposal to process the migrants in another country is compromise between these two positions. It tries not to deny asylum to those fleeing dictatorships while also putting some restrictions on their entry. There are no easy answers, but labelling one side as "fascists" will not get us closer to the solution.
 
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Napa said:
Many British voters understandably wish that their country control the foreigners coming in. That is not fascism. Many people around the world fleeing dictatorships need asylum, and there are many economic migrants too. It is understandable that some Germans wanted to give a million Syrian mostly male refugees asylum. It is also understandable that some other Germans thought that their country should not take in so many foreigners.

The proposal to process the migrants in another country is compromise between these two positions. It tries not to deny asylum to those fleeing dictatorships while also putting some restrictions on their entry. There are no easy answers, but labelling one side as "fascists" will not get us closer to the solution.
Click to expand...


Do you live in the UK? How can you possibly know this? You also need to understand the difference between 'foreigners' and asylum seekers. UK follows the 1951 refugee convention.

Sending refugees away esp those who come from nations which were destroyed by the UK and its allies not only shows lack of empathy towards humans but proves it was lies when UK said it was bombing countires to save their people. If they can spend hundreds of thousands on one missile to bomb others to save humans, they have a moral obligation to take those same people in.
 
Napa said:
Many British voters understandably wish that their country control the foreigners coming in. That is not fascism. Many people around the world fleeing dictatorships need asylum, and there are many economic migrants too. It is understandable that some Germans wanted to give a million Syrian mostly male refugees asylum. It is also understandable that some other Germans thought that their country should not take in so many foreigners.

The proposal to process the migrants in another country is compromise between these two positions. It tries not to deny asylum to those fleeing dictatorships while also putting some restrictions on their entry. There are no easy answers, but labelling one side as "fascists" will not get us closer to the solution.
Click to expand...

If the jackboot fits. This government is deliberately stoking the worst aspects of the British character - xenophobia, exceptionalism, white superiority complex / resentment. British POC need to wake up to this.

There are already controls and restrictions on entry - UK Border Force and detention centres.
 
Refugees arriving in the UK will be given the right to remain permanently, under a new system the home secretary has described as "fair but firm".

Priti Patel will announce that those fleeing war or persecution who come through the "safe and legal resettlement route" will be given indefinite leave to remain.

Currently, resettled refugees are allowed to stay in the UK for five years, after which they can apply for indefinite leave to remain.

This is aimed at giving refugees the stability they need to rebuild their lives in the UK.

Priority will be given to refugees, including children, in regions of conflict and instability, the Home Office said, rather than those who are "already in safe European countries".

The plan will also include:

Those refused asylum will be moved through a fast-tracked appeals process aimed at giving people access to justice while minimising the time spent on "meritless claims and appeals"
Judges will be told to give "minimal weight" to evidence raised by an asylum seeker later in the process unless there are exceptional circumstances - a higher standard of proof will be needed
Border Force will be given new powers to search containers coming into the UK
Displaced families will be reunited more easily, with a review of the family reunion routes available to refugees
Foreign criminals will not be able to "frustrate the removals process" by lodging "endless claims for protection"
People smugglers who facilitate entry to the UK will face life behind bars and the sentence for those illegally entering the UK will also be increased

Ms Patel said: "Our New Plan For Immigration will make big changes, building a new system that is fair but firm. We will continue to encourage asylum via safe and legal routes whilst at the same time toughening our stance towards illegal entry and the criminals that endanger life by enabling it.

SKY
 
KingKhanWC said:
Do you live in the UK? How can you possibly know this? You also need to understand the difference between 'foreigners' and asylum seekers. UK follows the 1951 refugee convention.

Sending refugees away esp those who come from nations which were destroyed by the UK and its allies not only shows lack of empathy towards humans but proves it was lies when UK said it was bombing countires to save their people. If they can spend hundreds of thousands on one missile to bomb others to save humans, they have a moral obligation to take those same people in.
Click to expand...

Napa is one of those delusional Indians who think they would be welcome in the UK. He obviously has no experience of the reality of white flight from towns like Wembley and Southall.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Napa is one of those delusional Indians who think they would be welcome in the UK. He obviously has no experience of the reality of white flight from towns like Wembley and Southall.
Click to expand...

Or knowing that the largest immigrants to Australia to UK to Canada are all Indians. When the racists parties say to stop all immigration it's for people like Napa who stand in queues of visas back home in India for a chance of life in the West.
 
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-asylum/britain-toughens-its-post-brexit-asylum-system-idUSKBN2BF34F

Britain will introduce new rules for those seeking asylum, making it more difficult for refugees entering illegally to stay in the country, interior minister Priti Patel said on Wednesday, calling it a firm but fair system. Since Britain completed its exit from the European Union at the end of last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been keen to set out a new independent vision for the country, unveiling new policies on defence, foreign affairs to immigration.

In what the government says is the biggest overhaul of the asylum system in decades, the “New Plan for Immigration” sets out a plan to resettle refugees at urgent risk more quickly while making it more difficult for those arriving illegally.

“Under our New Plan for Immigration, if people arrive illegally, they will no longer have the same entitlements as those who arrive legally, and it will be harder for them to stay,” Patel said in a statement.

“Profiteering from illegal migration to Britain will no longer be worth the risk, with new maximum life sentences for people smugglers ... I make no apology for these actions being firm, but as they will also save lives and target people smugglers, they are also undeniably fair.”

She also said those arriving after travelling through a safe country such as France would not have immediate entry into the system, and that the government “would stop the most unscrupulous abusing the system by posing as children”.

Reducing immigration was one of the promises made by the Vote Leave campaign, for which Johnson was a figurehead, during the 2016 referendum on membership of the EU, and the government has said it would toughen up its post-Brexit asylum system.

But the main opposition Labour Party said the policy was defined by “a lack of compassion”, saying successive Conservative governments had failed the immigration system.

Charities have also criticised the proposals, saying they would create an unfair two-tiered system.

“This is inhumane,” British Red Cross chief executive Mike Adamson said.
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A lorry driver has been arrested after 10 suspected migrants were found in his vehicle.

Sussex Police stopped the lorry, which had Italian number plates, on the A24 at Findon Valley in Worthing, West Sussex, at about 18:45 BST on Tuesday.

The 10 people were checked by paramedics and taken away by police on a bus. They will be dealt with by Immigration Enforcement.

The driver was held on suspicion of immigration offences.

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Last month, the government set out plans to make it more difficult for asylum seekers to stay in the UK if they come illegally.

Under those plans, people who enter the UK illegally to claim asylum will no longer have the same entitlements as those who arrive legally.
 
The police are set to release two men currently detained in an immigration van which is blocking a Glasgow Street.

The move follows a standoff between the authorities and protesters in Kenmure Street in Pollokshields.

On Thursday morning people surrounded a Home Office vehicle believed to contain two immigrants who had been removed from their accommodation.

Police Scotland said it would release the pair if protesters dispersed from the street.

Currently, a man is refusing to move from under the van while hundreds of people sit and stand in the road

Some of the protesters were heard shouting "let our neighbours go".

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is also the MSP for the area, said the Home Office action "was creating a dangerous and unacceptable situation", and urged them to "resolve" the situation ASAP.

Humza Yousaf, the Scottish government's justice secretary, said he had asked to speak to the Home Office to "make clear just how unacceptable this situation is".

However, he said he was "disappointed that out of eight Home Office Ministers none of them could make themselves available" to speak to him.

Instead, he said he spoke to the a representative for the department in Scotland and urged them to abandon the operation.

BBC Scotland has asked the Home Office to comment.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said officers had been called to an address in Kenmure Street following a protest by "a large group of people".

She added: "The call was made by UK Immigration Enforcement (UKIE) after a group of protesters gathered at the address where UKIE staff were in attendance.

"Police Scotland does not assist in the removal of asylum seekers.

"Officers are at the scene to police the protest and to ensure public safety."

Nine police vans and a number of police cars were seen near the scene.

The Sikhs in Scotland group said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned", and urged the Home Office to "abandon forced removals and to adopt an immigration policy based on human rights, compassion and dignity".

Mohammad Asif, of the Afghan Human Rights Foundation, said hundreds of people were protesting.

The 54-year-old added: "We're here against the hostile environment created by the Tories and the British state."

Pollokshields is a close knit and diverse community so the mid-morning forced removal of two young men by the Home Office has attracted attention.

By the time they had been taken from a top-floor flat, there were already a handful of people protesting at the immigration enforcement van on the busy street, with one man crawling underneath to stop it moving.

Neighbours, many working or studying at home because of the pandemic, were rallied by phone to stand around the vehicle. Within an hour there were more than 100 people and a dozen police vans.

Those numbers, of both police and residents, increased over the next few hours and surrounding streets have been cordoned off to traffic. The protesters say they will not leave until the men are released.

The Home Office van is overlooked by imposing Victorian sandstone tenements, some with signs that have been there since last summer, saying "Black Lives Matter" and "Thank God for Immigrants".

Some of the local protesters are dressed for their Eid celebrations, interrupted by these events.

Most people are wearing masks, aware that this community is already experiencing a surge in Covid cases.

BBC
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2/ I disagree fundamentally with <a href="https://twitter.com/ukhomeoffice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ukhomeoffice</a> immigration policy but even putting that aside, this action was unacceptable. To act in this way, in the heart of a Muslim community as they celebrated Eid, and in an area experiencing a Covid outbreak was a health & safety risk</p>— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1392883276939923460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">4/ Lastly, I am proud to represent a constituency and lead a country that welcomes and shows support to asylum seekers and refugees. The day when immigration policy is the responsibility of <a href="https://twitter.com/ScotParl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScotParl</a> can’t come soon enough.</p>— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1392884740026519552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/ukhomeoffice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ukhomeoffice</a> action today is creating a dangerous and unacceptable situation in Pollokshields. As local MSP, I am also seeking urgent answers from them - they must resolve this situation ASAP. <a href="https://t.co/aMGAe88M1J">https://t.co/aMGAe88M1J</a></p>— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1392827927662891017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are deeply concerned by the Home Office raids in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pollokshields?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pollokshields</a>, Glasgow. We urge the Home Office to abandon forced removals and to adopt an immigration policy based on human rights, compassion & dignity <a href="https://twitter.com/pritipatel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pritipatel</a> <a href="https://t.co/897BEwdaoh">https://t.co/897BEwdaoh</a></p>— Sikhs in Scotland (@sikhsinscotland) <a href="https://twitter.com/sikhsinscotland/status/1392833334330462208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is the moment that People Power forced the release of Sumit Sehdev and Lakhvir Singh.<br><br>They were detained following a Home Office Immigration raid during Eid - with the power of solidarity and humanity the people of Glasgow mobilised and said NO <a href="https://t.co/bDCKI0UwdF">pic.twitter.com/bDCKI0UwdF</a></p>— Claudia Webbe MP (@ClaudiaWebbe) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClaudiaWebbe/status/1393106190016651267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Migrant word is a sugar coated word for Illegal immigrant. All illegals need to be deported and anyone who wants to immigrate a foreign country must follow the law and go through legal process.
 
The Spanish military has intercepted migrants as thousands of people - including children - swum into the enclave of Ceuta on the north African coast after taking advantage of relaxed border controls.

By Tuesday morning, around 6,000 people had crossed the border by sea into the Spanish city since the first arrivals began early on Monday. Of those, 1,500 are thought to be teenagers.

Footage showed the armed forces arriving on beaches and detaining some of those trying to cross.

By Tuesday lunchtime some 2,700 migrants had been returned, Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has said that every person who entered Ceuta illegally will be expelled.

"We are going to restore order to the city and its borders," he said.

He added that the sudden increase in migrants is a serious crisis for Spain and Europe, and that he will be travelling to the region soon.

Spain had previously announced that troops would be deployed to the region, with border patrols starting "immediately".

Around 200 extra police officers have been sent to Ceuta, with 1,200 constables already in the region.

Soaked migrants, either swimming or paddling in inflatable boats, were still arriving on Tuesday although in smaller numbers due to the heightened police and military response on the Spanish side of the border.

A spokesperson for the Spanish authorities said one person died during the migration.

Adults were being transferred to a football stadium before being returned to Morocco, while minors were being sent to an industrial building.

Ceuta, with a population of 80,000, is located across the Mediterranean from Gibraltar, and shares a land border with Morocco.

Film showed the crowds traversing the waters on Monday, with many people shown running or giving thumbs up as they entered the Spanish territory.

Tunisian authorities said more than 50 migrants drowned after a shipwreck near the coast of Sfax on Monday, while 33 others were rescued from an oil platform.

All of the survivors were from Bangladesh and the boat departed from Libya on Sunday, Flavio Di Giacomo, the spokesperson for the Mediterranean coordination office of the International Organisation of Migrations said.

The nationality of the migrants who died is not immediately clear.

Ceuta and Melilla - which is 150 miles further east - commonly attract African migrants looking to get to Europe.

Spanish television has reported that about 85 people had scaled the border fence to get into Melilla.

Foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told national radio that people who crossed the border illegally are already being returned to Morocco.

She added that Spain will "keep a cool head".

Tensions between Spain and Morocco are on the rise following the hospitalisation of Brahim Ghali.

Mr Ghali is the leader of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, which contests Morocco's claim on the Western Sahara region.

Morocco has been angered by Spain admitting the 71-year-old to the country - with the north African state saying this was done under a false name and without informing them.

Reuters also reports that Mr Ghali is being treated in a Spanish hospital.

Foreign minister Gonzalez Laya added that she believed the migrant influx was not in retaliation for Mr Ghali's treatment.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the north African nation a friend of Spain while describing the influx of migrants as a "serious crisis"

"This sudden arrival of irregular migrants is a serious crisis for Spain and Europe," Mr Sanchez said.

"I want to tell all Spaniards, especially those in Ceuta and Melilla, that we will re-establish order in your city and at our borders with the utmost speed. We will act firmly to ensure your safety."

She said: "I cannot speak for Morocco but what they have told us a few hours ago, this afternoon, is that this is not due to the disagreement (over Ghali).

"Spain has been very clear and detailed about the case. It's simply a humanitarian issue."

In Italy, the tiny Mediterranean island of Lampedusa saw another influx of migrants from Africa, with 1,200 migrants arriving within the span of 12 hours from Libya.

One fisherman on the island who arrived legally in Italy years ago said it is "painful" to see young people coming to the island without papers.

"If somebody had told me that in Lampedusa, every day, 30 or 25 boats arrive, I wouldn't have believed it. But now that I came here, I saw it with my own eyes," Ibrahima Mbaye said.

"It's painful for me when I see young people coming here to find a better future when it's not sure they can find it."

"They come without papers, and here if you don't comply with the rules, it's hard to find work."

SKY
 
[VIDEO] Spanish Red Cross Volunteer abused online for showing sympathy to an immigrant

A Red Cross volunteer consoling a Senegalese man moments after he stepped foot in Spain's Ceuta - the raw emotions of humanity were captured on camera.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Emotiva imagen desde el drama de Ceuta. Una trabajadora de la Cruz Roja se abraza a un exhausto inmigrante <a href="https://t.co/aH8JrKYush">pic.twitter.com/aH8JrKYush</a></p>— EL MUNDO (@elmundoes) <a href="https://twitter.com/elmundoes/status/1394710395223433220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


A video shows Red Cross volunteer Luna Reyes offering water to a Senegalese migrant. When she held out her hand to comfort him, he hugged her.

He was one of the 8,000 migrants who recently arrived in Ceuta from Morocco.

Hours after the footage went viral, Luna was forced to set her social media accounts to private as she was abused by supporters of Spain’s far-right Vox party and others.

"They saw that my boyfriend was Black, they wouldn’t stop insulting me and saying horrible, racist things to me," Luna, 20, told the Spanish television channel RTVE.

Luna has been volunteering with the Red Cross since March as part of her studies.

She said that hugging someone in need is "the most natural thing in the world."

"He was crying, I held out my hand and he hugged me. He clung to me. That embrace was his lifeline," she said.

Luna did not see the migrant again and worried that he might have been among the 5,600 people who were sent back to Morocco.

She was still sinking in the experience of being on the frontlines as thousands of migrants arrived in Ceuta in a span of 36 hours earlier this week. "We were not trained to see something like that," she said.

Soon after the news of the Spanish volunteer being abused online spread, messages hailing Luna hugging the migrant began to take over social media. Hashtag #GraciasLuna started trending on Twitter in Spain.

"We will not allow hatred to win. Those of us who see this embrace as a symbol of the best of our country outnumber the others," Rita Maestre, a councillor for the city of Madrid, tweeted.

Spain’s economy minister, Nadia Calviño, lauded Luna, saying, "#Gracias Luna for representing the best values of our society."

Spain’s labour minister, Yolanda Díaz, tweeted, "Much more than a photo. A symbol of hope and solidarity."

Jagan Chapagain, the secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, also praised Luna's gesture, writing, "Luna represents our very best. #Gracias Luna, for shining a light. Gracias Luna for showing the world what humanity looks like."

https://www.timesnownews.com/the-bu...egalese-migrant-after-photo-goes-viral/760414
 
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/thousands-of-asylum-seekers-left-unable-to-afford-food-as-financial-support-stops/ar-AAKpzMk?ocid=msedgntp

Thousands of asylum seekers have been left unable to afford food for several days and counting after their financial support was cut off during a Home Office contract changeover, The Independent has learned.

NGOs say vulnerable people, including families with babies and children, are being forced into a “state of destitution” after their Aspen cards – a form of debit card issued to asylum seekers so they can buy basic supplies – stopped working and they have not yet been issued with new ones.

The issue has arisen after a Home Office decision to end its Aspen Card contract with facilities management company Sodexo and begin a new contract with financial technology firm Prepaid Financial Services.

The transition took place over the weekend. Asylum seekers had been informed that on Saturday and Sunday they would not be able to access funds – a weekly allowance of £39.63 if they are in a house and £8 if they are in a hotel – while the transfer between the old and new Aspen card took place, but that the new cards would be usable from Monday.

However, charities said on Wednesday that thousands of people were either yet to receive their new cards or had been unable to activate them, leaving them without any money.

Campaigners said the situation was “entirely avoidable” and that the contract transition should have been tested before being rolled out across the UK over one weekend.

By the end of the week I will have no food left. I have run out of milk today. I will try to go to the food bank tomorrow. I feel stressed

Migrant Help, a charity contracted by the Home Office to provide support services to asylum seekers, has been inundated with phone calls from people unable to access money, with individuals having to wait on hold for hours before getting through to them.

Meanwhile, charities are having to plug the gaps to support people unable to buy food and other basic essentials – with some reportedly having to turn people away due to the high demand.

One asylum seeker who is still without an Aspen card told The Independent he and his fiancé were surviving off basic food with no fresh fruit or vegetables after they spent the last of their money on nappies for their eight-month-old son.

“We’re running out of food. We have just a few basic things for my son. We save the vegetables we have left for him. My fiancé and I have just been eating bread or pasta,” said the 31-year-old, who lives in Bradford.

The man, who arrived in the UK with his family in December after fleeing death threats in his home country, contacted Migrant Help was told the charity would try to arrange an emergency payment for him from the Home Office, but that this would first need to be approved by the department.

Migrant Help referred him to the local British Red Cross branch in the meantime – but he said that when he phoned that charity he was told they did not have capacity as they were inundated with requests for help from other asylum seekers facing the same problem.

In another case, a woman living in a shared house in Tower Hamlets in east London, who is also still waiting for her new Aspen card, said she had only a small amount of food left before she would run out. She said three out of six asylum seekers living in her house were still waiting for their new card.

The woman, who is in her early 50s, said she had waited on hold to Migrant Help for three hours on Wednesday before giving up on trying to get through.

“By the end of the week I will have no food left. I have run out of milk today. I will try to go to the food bank tomorrow. I feel stressed. If they answered the phone they might help us, but I think the line is busy because lots of people are having the same problem,” she said.

In many cases cards have been sent to the wrong addresses – sometimes to properties or hotels the individual moved from months ago.

One individual’s Aspen card was sent to the hotel he was previously living in which was decommissioned two months ago, while a number of cards have been sent to a hotel in London which was decommissioned in February, according to charity Care4Calais.

"It’s bad enough that the Home Office system is failing but worse that there is no safety net – it shouldn’t be up to charities like ours to ensure vulnerable people don’t starve,” said Clare Mosely, founder of the charity.

Emma Birks, campaigns manager at Asylum Matters, said the “widespread hardship and distress […] could and should have been foreseen, and was entirely avoidable”.

“Thousands of vulnerable families across Britain have now been left for days without any cash for food and other essentials.

“With so much at stake, the transition should have been thoroughly tested before being rolled out across the whole of the UK over a single weekend, with ... contingency plans put in place,” she added.

Robina Qureshi, of Positive Housing in Action in Glasgow, said the organisation had received over 130 calls and messages in the last three days from people facing problems, describing the situation as an “unforgivable mess”.

We are talking about families with children and babies as well as men and women, many of whom are suffering mental health trauma

“We are talking about families with children and babies as well as men and women, many of whom are suffering mental health trauma,” she said.

“This is the tip of the iceberg as far as we can see and it’s very likely that there will be people forgotten or lost in the system for some weeks to come.”

A Migrant Help spokesperson said its helpline had been “extremely busy” over the past few days and apologised to those having difficulties getting through.

“We are liaising with the payment provider and the Home Office, who are working to address the issues related to Aspen cards. We increased staffing levels in preparation for the roll out of the new service and are doing our best to assist as many clients as we can,” they added.

The Home Office and Prepaid Financial Services have been approached for comment.
Click to expand...
 
Thousands more Afghans will be able to settle in the UK under plans to relocate those who worked for Britain during the recent conflict.

Most of those affected worked as interpreters for British troops and the acceleration of plans allowing them to settle in the UK comes as fears grow for their safety.

The interpreters had been at risk of reprisals from the Taliban since British forces ended combat operations in Helmand in 2014 but that risk is expected to grow after international troops complete their withdrawal from the country later this year.

Hundreds of interpreters have already settled in the UK under an earlier version of the scheme but now it is expected that hundreds more will be given this chance.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that, with family members included, this would mean more than 3,000 people.

Mr Wallace said: "With Western powers leaving Afghanistan, the threat is increasing and has increased, including targeted attacks by the Taliban."

He added: "This is allowing people a route to the United Kingdom for safety, the people who supported the British armed forces and the British government over many, many years in Afghanistan who feel they are in danger and it's absolutely right that we stand by those people.

"It's my duty as defence secretary, I believe, to do the right thing by these people, and when they come here they will be supported and I very much hope that the British population also supports them, because these people have taken great risks very often to protect the men and women of our armed forces."

Many British soldiers who worked with the interpreters have been among those advocating for their right to settle in the UK.

A large number of interpreters were not eligible under the earlier scheme, which considered an applicant's role and length of service.

But now any current or former locally-employed staff deemed to be under serious threat will be offered priority relocation in the UK.

This will be regardless of their employment status, role, rank or length of service, and the scheme will be open for applications even after British troops have left Afghanistan.

Mr Wallace said that the new arrivals would be offered help with housing and other needs, similar to the help available to refugees.

In a statement, the government said: "Following the decision to begin the withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan, the prime minister has agreed with the Ministry of Defence, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to rapidly accelerate applications through the policy."

Around 750 British troops remain in Afghanistan, most of them providing security in Kabul, but their departure was hastened when the US announced it was withdrawing by 11 September.

Other countries rely heavily on US help with logistics and transport, so NATO announced soon afterwards that it would withdraw by the same date, despite fears expressed by analysts that Afghanistan is still not ready to go it alone.

SKY
 
Six asylum seekers who brought a legal challenge against “appalling” conditions at a disused army barracks have won their High Court action against the Home Office.

The group housed at Napier Barracks in Kent had claimed the facilities were "inhumane" and "unsafe".

The court found the accommodation was "inadequate" for asylum seekers, that the Home Office's process for selecting people to be accommodated at the barracks was "flawed and unlawful", and that residents there were unlawfully detained under "purported COVID rules".

The claim was brought by the group who stayed at the barracks in Folkestone between September 2020 and February 2021.

In his judgment Mr Justice Linden said all of them were "vulnerable victims of trafficking and/or torture, who experienced a deterioration in their mental health as a result of their accommodation at Napier Barracks".


They were transferred to alternative accommodation after legal proceedings were initiated.


Majid, a young Iranian asylum seeker, is now living in hotel accommodation in London, but spent more than four months at the barracks.

During a two-day hearing in April, the men's lawyers said accommodating asylum seekers at the "squalid" barracks was a breach of their human rights and could amount to false imprisonment.

And on Thursday, Mr Justice Linden ruled in their favour and found the Home Office acted unlawfully when deciding the former military camp was appropriate.

He said: "Whether on the basis of the issues of COVID or fire safety taken in isolation, or looking at the cumulative effect of the decision making about, and the conditions in, the barracks, I do not accept the accommodation there ensured a standard of living which was adequate for the health of the claimants.

"Insofar as the defendant considered that the accommodation was adequate for their needs, that view was irrational."

The High Court previously heard the government had been warned months before a COVID outbreak at the barracks that Napier was "not suitable" for use during a pandemic.

The concerns raised by Public Health England (PHE) centred on the dormitory-style accommodation, which it said made social distancing difficult.

One of the PHE inspectors who was called in at Napier - and also Penally Camp in Wales - ruled they were both "utterly unacceptable" and represented "serious failings on the part of the Home Office".

A Home Office spokesperson said: "During the height of the pandemic, to ensure asylum seekers were not left destitute, additional accommodation was required at extremely short notice.

"Such accommodation provided asylum seekers a safe and secure place to stay. Throughout this period our accommodation providers and sub-contractors have made improvements to the site and continue to do so.

"It is disappointing that this judgment was reached on the basis of the site prior to the significant improvement works which have taken place in difficult circumstances. Napier will continue to operate and provide safe and secure accommodation.

"We will carefully consider the ruling and our next steps."

SKY
 
UK has the worst policies in the world. As a highly skilled professional immigrant who now has British citizenship I cant get my elderly mom to come here and settle down under my finances, and live with me in my property permanently. The most she can do is come as a visitor.

I know it is a small Island but then why every other Tom Dick & Harry, street beggar from Europe had a free pass for the past few decades?
 
Social media companies must do better in removing posts that are "glamourising" dangerous migrant crossings, the home secretary says.

Priti Patel wrote to the companies on Saturday to say they must deal with the "totally unacceptable" posts promoting the "lethal crossings".

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Among them is a video on TikTok which has been watched more than 800,000 times and appears to show a group of men crossing the Channel in a dinghy.

Similar posts have also appeared on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter, advertising illegal boat crossings and fake passport and visa services.

Ms Patel said: "Posts which promote and even glamourise these lethal crossings are totally unacceptable.

"They encourage others to leave a safe European country and put theirs and their family's life at risk and are even used by people smugglers to promote their deadly business.

"What these posts don't mention are the people who have died trying to make this crossing, or those forced to spend 13 hours in unseaworthy boats in freezing waters.


"Working with the National Crime Agency, social media companies have made progress in removing these horrendous posts, but they must quickly and proactively remove posts related to illegal crossings before more men, women and children die in the Channel. Now is the time to act before it is too late."

Immigration minister Chris Philp met representatives of the main social media companies earlier this year, asking for adverts promoting the crossings to be removed.

At the time, it was reported that less than half of removal requests made by the National Crime Agency were being acted upon.

The number of people crossing the 21-mile stretch of water has almost doubled so far this year compared with the same period last year, with more than 3,100 having reached the English coast by the end of May.

Almost 600 migrants were intercepted attempting to make the crossing over three days this past week.

French authorities dealt with eight incidents involving 130 people on Friday, and the UK dealt with four boats involving 83 people.

Some 201 people were stopped by Border Force officers in eight incidents on Thursday.

And the French authorities intercepted nine crossings on Wednesday and Thursday, preventing 171 people from reaching the UK.

A number of traditional Channel routes have been closed in recent months, meaning migrants have to launch from anywhere along 120 miles of coastline in an effort to evade detection, meaning they can end up spending up to 13 hours at sea.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: "This government's approach to tackling Channel crossings isn't working and is destined to fail.

"The reality is that when fleeing war, terror and persecution, ordinary people are forced to take extraordinary steps to seek safety in another country.

"Instead of relying solely on an enforcement approach to stop the crossings, this government needs to expand safe routes so that people don't have to risk their lives taking dangerous journeys at the mercy of criminals and people smugglers.

"Creating safe and regular routes to the UK - through an expanded resettlement programme, humanitarian visas and reforming the restrictive family reunion rules - is the way to effectively address the issue."

SKY
 
At least 43 migrants drown in shipwreck off Tunisia after attempting to cross from Libya to Italy

Arrivals in Italy - one of the main migrant routes into Europe - had been falling in recent years, but numbers have risen sharply again in 2021.

At least 43 migrants have drowned in a shipwreck off Tunisia as they attempted to cross from Libya to Italy, the Tunisian Red Crescent has said.

The boat had set off from Zuwara, on Libya's northwest coast, and was carrying migrants from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh, according to the humanitarian organisation.

Some 84 people were rescued from the stricken vessel.

It follows a series of drownings in recent months with an increase in the number of attempted crossings to Italy from Tunisia and Libya as the weather has improved.

"The navy rescued 84 migrants and 43 others drowned in a boat that set off from Libya's Zuwara towards Europe," Red Crescent official Mongi Slim said.


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Hundreds of thousands of people have made the treacherous Mediterranean crossing in recent years, many of them fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.



Arrivals in Italy - one of the main migrant routes into Europe - had been falling in recent years, but numbers have risen sharply again in 2021.

Almost 19,800 migrants have arrived since the beginning of the year against just over 6,700 in the same period last year, according to the Italian authorities.

https://news.sky.com/story/at-least-43-migrants-drown-in-shipwreck-off-tunisia-after-attempting-to-cross-from-libya-to-italy-12347870
 
Why are these people not migrating to Middle eastern countries, why europe?

This forceful migration will not last. Its only time before Europeans start protests and the countries take offensive measures to stop it.
 
Sky News cameras have filmed a dinghy carrying 13 suspected migrants arriving on a beach in Kent.

Helicopter footage shows the group coming ashore in Dungeness, with several men sitting on the sand after disembarking.

It appears that several other groups have also managed to come ashore after making the dangerous journey across the English Channel.

According to the PA news agency, at least 430 migrants sailed across the Channel on Monday, surpassing the previous record of 416 that was set in September 2020.

Sky's correspondent Ashna Hurynag, who is in Dover, said: "We have seen the UK paying France a lot of money to up surveillance - but we are talking about miles and miles of coastline that need patrolling.

"Once the police crack down on one of the beaches, you find that suspected migrants pop up elsewhere and again, the routine starts once more.

"It's a bit of a cat-and-mouse situation for authorities in France, but also for the authorities here too."

Women and children - some of whom were too young to walk - were among those who arrived yesterday. Some needed to be supported as they set foot on the beach.

Also on Monday, parliament debated plans to introduce sweeping reforms of the asylum system, with former prime minister Theresa May sounding warnings over the prospect of the UK sending asylum seekers to offshore processing centres - not dissimilar from the ones used by Australia.

Bella Sankey, director of charity Detention Action, said: "The Home Office's anti-refugee bill is political theatre that doesn't even pretend to deal with the issue or make our system, safe, fair or efficient.

"We need a mechanism allowing refugees arriving at the UK border in France to be given safe passage, and until we have it, all else is noise and distraction."

More than 1,850 people have reached Britain on small boats in July so far, according to PA analysis.

That is more than the 2019 total.
https://news.sky.com/story/footage-...kent-coast-as-channel-crossings-rise-12359709
 
To be honest the UK is a very small island. It is only natural for their to be concern when people keep turning up in dinghy boats every day. Most are economic migrants not escaping persecution or anything like that. Yes, most are Muslim's as well so non Muslim's are right to point out why the so called Ummah I keep hearing about doesn't take them in. It is political correctness to cry "racism" every time people ask how many asylum seekers and refugee's can any country take?.
 
It's extremely difficult issue... Those people who put their own life and their family life in danger must have a very good reason to do so. It's a search for a better life. I can only respect the effort.
 
thelandofthebravepeople said:
It's extremely difficult issue... Those people who put their own life and their family life in danger must have a very good reason to do so. It's a search for a better life. I can only respect the effort.
Click to expand...

I struggle to see what could be a good enough reason to put your own or family's life in danger. It's not like these people are starving, they have mustered up big money to pay the smugglers. I think they are just thinking there is a golden ticket abroad and are prepared to take stupid chances because they are being misled by hearing stories about streets paved with gold in the west.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
I struggle to see what could be a good enough reason to put your own or family's life in danger. It's not like these people are starving, they have mustered up big money to pay the smugglers. I think they are just thinking there is a golden ticket abroad and are prepared to take stupid chances because they are being misled by hearing stories about streets paved with gold in the west.
Click to expand...

Irrespective of what the reason is they think it's worth the risk. I think it's a sad situation and I do not want to be in that kind of situation.

The other thing is you cannot put all in one group. People have different reasons for fleeing their country.

But yes UK or any of the other countries in the west cannot afford to take ind all immigrants of the world, but I do think they should take the amount they can afford.

Honestly it's a sad situation and has no easy solutions.
 
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