New immigration law hinders the fight against slavery – EURACTIV.de

Illegal immigration law can make victims of modern slavery less willing to testify against human traffickers. Former British Prime Minister Theresa May warned that this would make it more difficult to catch them.

The new illegal immigration law would allow illegal immigrants to be held without bail or judicial review for the first 28 days of detention until they are deported.

It contains provisions designed to prevent asylum seekers from appearing to be victims of modern slavery in order to prevent or delay their deportation.

“My concern about this illegal immigration law is that it will trample on modern slavery law and deny support to those who have been exploited and enslaved, making it more difficult to catch and stop human traffickers and slavery,” May said loudly. Parents.

If someone is identified as a potential victim of modern slavery, the UK government says, “we will ensure that they are safely returned to their home country or to another safe country”.

“Some of my colleagues might say, ‘Well, doesn’t that mean a lot of people want to stay here?'” “And they worry about the numbers, but a lot of people who have been enslaved want to go home, they don’t just want to stay here,” May said.

“I fear that under this law they are likely to remain here in the UK and live in bondage,” she added.

On Monday, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, wrote to both houses of the British Parliament, urging MPs to vote against the bill.

It was now “important” that lawmakers “prevent legislation inconsistent with the UK’s international obligations,” the letter said.

The UK Parliament will now have the opportunity To examine the bill carefully, Once adopted, the measures contained therein will be expressly approved by Parliament.”