New migrant bill would see 190k vulnerable refugees locked up if it becomes law - report

The report, the result of a detailed impact assessment of the consequences of new Bill from policy experts at the Refugee Council, suggests around 45,000 children could be “locked up” in Britain under the plans designed by the Home Office.

Furthermore, the analysis suggests around £9billion will be spent over three years on housing refugees in detention centres and accommodating others who can’t be sent to other countries.

The analysis, says the council, was “based on publicly available sources and using conservative estimates based on existing data”.

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The Refugee Council added that most of the refugees affected will be those from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, and Iran.

Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said: “This draconian legislation stains our country’s reputation for fairness in the face of adversity. All the evidence shows that the vast majority of those who come here by so-called irregular routes are refugees escaping bombs and bullets, violence and persecution.

“They take these dangerous journeys as no workable alternatives exist for them – unlike Ukrainians who were rightly able to come to the UK on a visa scheme. Most people in Britain open their hearts and some of their homes to those in need, fellow human beings seeking safety and sanctuary.

“We have done so for centuries – this bill rubbishes the very best of British values. It does not reflect the country we are in 2023. It is not who we are.”

The Refugee Council’s findings are just one of many examples of criticism of Suella Braverman’s controversial bill.

Recently, the Home Secretary returned from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, where people from the UK will be sent under the proposed, and so far unsuccessful, Rwanda Scheme.

In the aftermath of the visit, Ms Braverman has received more criticism, this time, from the United States.

The country criticised Rwanda’s poor human rights record and described conditions in their detention centres as harsh to life-threatening.

Ms Braverman later dismissed critics as part of the “left-wing blob”, but some suggest it might be harder to dismiss criticism from such an important ally.

Although the report by the US state department did not pass any judgement on UK government’s plans, there are concerns the country refugees will be deported to may not be as safe as the Home Secretary suggests.

In their report, the United States said “conditions were generally harsh and life-threatening in unofficial or intelligence service-related detention centres, where individuals suffered from limited access to food, water, and health care”.

They added: “Observers reported state security forces sometimes held individuals incommunicado and subjected them to interrogation and threats to curtail their exercise of freedoms of speech and association.

“The country is credibly alleged to have killed or kidnapped persons, or used violence or threats of violence against individuals in other countries, for purposes of politically motivated reprisal.”

The bill continues to make its way through Parliament and the proposals within it have not yet been passed into law.