More refugees in the UK – asylum seekers must go to Albania or abandoned oil rigs

The latest attempt by Boris Johnson’s government to deport refugees who came to England via the Channel to foreign lands appears to have failed this week. Albania struggled, Thursday, against rumors circulating in London that negotiations were underway with the British on temporary admission of thousands of asylum seekers, in exchange for a payment of several million pounds.

Albanian Foreign Minister Ulta Chaka said the whole thing was “nothing but fake news” – a false report that should not be believed. Albania’s ambassador in London stated that talks between Tirana and London on such a subject were “absolutely nothing”. His country would not do anything of the sort.

Measures aimed at deterrence

The generally well-informed newspaper, The Times of London, reported on “secret negotiations” between the two countries aimed at setting up special camps in Albania. The newspaper quoted a “British member of the government” as saying that it “looks good” for a British-Albanian deal. Also vice premier and Justice Minister Dominic Raab He did not deny that London sought to have a conversation with Tirana. On Thursday, Raab said Albania was undoubtedly “one of the countries” that could be considered for such an arrangement.

Justice Minister Dominic Raab said London was “determined to stop all illegal crossings”.

The plan apparently consists of transporting asylum seekers who have come across the English Channel in small boats to camps more than 2,000 kilometers (2,000 miles) in southeast Europe, where they wait months or even years for their asylum claims to be processed and for possible official admission. to the United Kingdom. And Rapp made no secret of the fact that the whole thing was a deterrent. He said London was “determined to stop all illegal crossings.”

Strong business background Increasing the number of boat people In the past few months. Last week, nearly 1,200 arrivals were counted in one day. More than 24,000 people in total are said to have landed in small boats on the English coasts since the beginning of the year. In 2019, it wasn’t until 2000 – all year long. He was Home Secretary Priti Patel It announced last year that it would make the canal road “impassable”. She had declared all the boat people “illegal” and had promised the French government nearly £80m if they prevented them from translating.

But this just has to be permanent New tensions with France It led because increased patrols on the French coast and in French waters could not stem the flow. It is said that only a small part of the amount promised has been paid by London in the meantime. Patel also had to abandon the idea of ​​using wave machines to force refugee boats back ashore after legal objections.

Officially sending asylum seekers to the continent also proved difficult because of Great Britain No longer a member of the European Union. In the past, with the help of the Dublin Convention, several hundred people were successfully deported to “return to Europe” each year. According to the Home Office, there were only five this year. For some time now, Patel has thought about “absorbing” asylum seekers in the remote British Isles or simply abroad while their applications are being processed, in order to make it more difficult for them to move to the UK.

Abandoned oil rigs, old ferries

At times, the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, the island of Asinion and Saint Helena were considered. There was also frequent talk of unwelcome arrivals being taken to abandoned North Sea oil rigs, old ferries or cruise ships. The first contacts were made with Moldova and Morocco. But like everything else, they did not lead to anything. In any case, in the new Nationalities and Borders Act, which is just passing through the British Parliament, Johnson’s government has included a clause that would allow for “offshore relocation” – that is, the temporary deportation of asylum seekers to remote areas.

Not only opposition parties but also a number of Conservative MPs oppose such practice. Many civil associations and human rights protested. According to surveys, the idea of ​​“outsourcing” is very popular among the wider population.

Posted today at 7:00 pm.

Did you find an error? Report it now.