A common misconception held by those in the UK is that people who arrive on British shores via boats are “illegal immigrants”, when this couldn’t be further from the truth. Under the UN 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, these people who arrive in our country can be deemed legal entrants by the UK Government. Let us explain…
The core principle of the 1951 Convention is non-refoulement, meaning a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom (UNHCR).
Understanding this, these “refugees”—often in search of better economic conditions—exploit the system. By deliberately destroying any form of identification, they make it impossible to trace them back to a specific country. This means UK officials have no way of verifying whether they are indeed fleeing threats to life or freedom, and no country would accept deportees without records of them. Once they have claimed asylum, food and shelter must be provided. And once refugee status is granted (even though there is often no way to verify claims of persecution), they may qualify for social housing on the same basis as others, depending on assessed need ( www.gov.uk/council-housing ). Couple this with the political and activist outrage that would occur if the UK Border Force turned around a sinking dinghy, and you begin to see the issue.
So, what must be done? Simple: The UK must leave the UN 1951 Refugee Convention. This would allow the UK to adopt effective anti-immigration deterrents:
- A mandatory 3-year prison sentence for illegal entry into the UK.
- A date by which the estimated 2 million illegal immigrants currently living in the UK must leave.
- Amnesty for illegal immigrants after deportation, only if they provide DNA, fingerprints, and a photograph.
- The building of detention centres for illegal immigrants who refuse amnesty.
- An end to mass passport handouts to non-UK natives.
Whilst we still adhere to the 1951 Refugee Convention, there is simply little to no deterrent for people who wish to enter the UK. Over the last 70 years, we have seen a cascade of immigrants enter our country by exploiting these loopholes. Now you see that the issue is not as simple as just “turning back the boats.”
To read a full policy breakdown regarding the Refugee Convention, head to our website:
