By: Samuel Lin
Britain plans to electronically monitor asylum seekers who cross the English Channel. Asylum seekers who travel to the U.K through “unnecessary or dangerous routes”, in the opinion of the prime minister Boris Johnson, will have a GPS tag, and will have to report to officials routinely. In addition, some will have curfew or restricted access to certain areas.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain defends the new plans to monitor refugees. He says the plans would make sure that “asylum seekers can’t just vanish into the rest of the country.”
“This is a very, very generous, welcoming country,” he said. “Quite right too. I am proud of it, but when people come here illegally, when they break the law, it is important that we make that distinction.” He also stated that he is proud on Britian’s track record on refugee resettlements.
Johnson’s defense comes just days after the European Court of Human Rights granted an injunction that grounded a government-mandated flight that would have carried undocumented immigrants from Britain to Rwanda. Despite this, Johnson is confident that his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is legal, and he insisted the Britain push on with the flight.
This plan faces opposition from refugee organizations and human rights lawyers. They say that the asylum seekers are being handled as criminals when they are simply searching for somewhere safe to live.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, stated that “It’s appalling that this government is intent on treating men, women and children who have fled war, bloodshed and persecution as criminals, . . . This draconian and punitive approach not only shows no compassion for very vulnerable people, it will also do nothing to deter those who are desperately seeking safety in the U.K.”
Refugee advocacy organizations warn that the new plans could have a devastating impact on the migrants who may have endured abuse. “The amount of suffering that can be caused to someone who is a torture survivor or who is mentally ill far outweighs the very minimal benefits for the government,” said Sue Willman, a human rights lawyer. “The person is being effectively surveilled 24/7 — while they’re on the toilet, while they’re in bed.”
She calls the plan “entirely disproportionate”, as only one percent of people released on bail actually abscond.
“I think it’s outrageous,” says Clare Moseley, the founder of Care4Calais, a charity that delivers aid to refugees. “Refugees, in general, do not abscond. There’s no data that shows that they do – they never have done it. They are here to claim asylum, so why would they? They’re not criminals, they’re victims. Things happen to them. They didn’t cause it. It’s just another part of the government criminalizing refugees, which is basically victim-blaming.”