A Better Alternative to the Small Boats Legislation

Conference notes:

A. The introduction of the Conservative UK Government’s alarming Illegal Migration Bill

B. That anyone entering the UK via a small boat crossing will be immediately detained and deported to another country as soon as possible.

C. 48% of those who crossed the channel were from just 5 countries, all with asylum grant rates over 80%

D. The UK is a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention.

E. That there are 160,000 migrants/asylum seekers awaiting a decision that can take years to decide, costing over £6m a day in hotel costs alone.

Conference believes:

I. That the UK Government’s plan:

i. Betrays our proud tradition of providing sanctuary and breaches commitments under international law.

ii. Is immoral, ineffective and costly for taxpayers.

iii. Punishes the victims of human trafficking whilst doing nothing to address the criminal gangs responsible

II. Providing safe and legal routes for refugees is the best way to stop dangerous crossings

Conference calls on the UK Government to:

1. Immediately scrap the Illegal Migration Bill.

2. Fix the broken asylum system by moving responsibility to a new dedicated unit to make decisions quickly and fairly.

3. Provide safe and legal routes including:

a. An expanded refugee resettlement scheme, including for unaccompanied child refugees in Europe.

b. Expanding the scope of refugee family reunion, including enabling unaccompanied child refugees in the UK to sponsor close family members to join them.

c. Reuniting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children with family members in the UK.

d. Humanitarian visas allowing asylum seekers to travel to the UK safely to proceed with their claims.

4. Work together with the Welsh Government to ensure that refugees are welcomed with compassion and dignity.

5. Put the resources in place to urgently clear the backlog to a manageable level, adhering to current law on making individual decisions.