More immigrants crossing the Channel

EU negotiators have rejected a British request for a migration pact that would allow the government to return asylum seekers to other European countries.

When the Brexit transition period expires on 31 December, the government will lose the right to transfer refugees and migrants to the EU country in which they arrived, a cornerstone of the European asylum system known as the Dublin regulation.

The government is seeking to replicate the European system outside the bloc, although the Home Office has complained that the EU rules are “rigid, inflexible and abused by migrants and activist lawyers”.

The Guardian has learned that EU member states have ruled out a British plan to recreate the Dublin system outside the EU.

Talks on a post-Brexit deal continue this week amid rising tensions between the UK and France following the death of a Sudanese teenager while attempting to cross the Channel in an inflatable dinghy.

A British plan presented to Brussels would allow the UK to return “all third-country nationals and stateless persons” who enter its territory without the right paperwork to the EU country they had travelled through to reach British shores.

The British government would have a reciprocal obligation to take in undocumented migrants arriving in the EU via the UK, excluding airport arrivals.

At a time when southern Europe has nearly 10 times more refugees and migrants arriving by sea, the UK plan has been described in Brussels as “very unbalanced” and “not good enough”.

FAir enough I say- either we are 'in' or 'out'

A British plan presented to Brussels would allow the UK to return “all third-country nationals and stateless persons” who enter its territory without the right paperwork to the EU country they had travelled through to reach British shores.

The British government would have a reciprocal obligation to take in undocumented migrants arriving in the EU via the UK, excluding airport arrivals.

The British are having a laugh, aren't they?

I suspect that the first suggestion is in breach of international law on asylum seekers.

They're pretty safe on the second, aren't they? How many 'undocumented migrants' pass through Britain on the way to the EU? I would suspect that the answer is practically none.

This is worse for the migrants, it will mean they are returned to their country of origin rather than being returned to the first EU country they landed in.That’s if their claims for asylum are turned down.
Apparently the man who drowned recently had been turned down for Asylum in France.

Every death of a person trying to cross the Channel is horrifying. However I dislike the efforts of the media to illicit further horror by describing a 28 year old man as a child of sixteen. His death is sad enough without embroidery and I feel it devalues the loss of life of an adult.

I don't think that the media purposely misreported his age as 16. From what I have read it is what the guy who was in the boat with him told his rescuers.

It was only later that the authorities found the travel document on him which said he was 28. By which time the 'wrong' age was all over the media. Too late to correct.

On what grounds would France normally deny asylum, to anyone asking for it? Does anyone know?

It is all here Chewbacca.
www.immigration.interieur.gouv.fr/Asile/Les-consequences-du-rejet-de-la-demande-d-asile-sur-le-droit-au-maintien-sur-le-territoire

If only we allowed (as many other countries do) asylum seekers to process their application from another country (France, for example)!

That would put a big batch of people smugglers out of business and stop so many deaths at sea.

The people granted asylum could travel here with papers safely.

Why won't Pitti Patel make this change if she is so anti-smuggling?

If France denied him asylum then they are responsible for the death of this man not the UK.

Notspaghetti That seems eminently sensible to me or am I being naive ?

"If France denied him asylum then they are responsible for the death of this man not the UK"

What does this even mean? A man died. Many died before him and its likely many more people will drown in their attempt to get to Northern Europe from war torn dangerous home lands.
We need an international response. We also need to ensure the policies of Northern European countries (and the USA) don't pour flames on the wars these people are running from.
We need to stop attempting to "blame the French". We are an island, it means its harder to get here. It doesn't mean we are absolved any any responsibility here.

Exactly - pure geographical fluke that the UK is the furthest from entry points. A bit easy and cheap to say 'not our problem'

Africa and Middle East population 1,500,000,000 approximately. If only 10% leave to claim asylum in Europe that’s 150 million spread over 10 countries (arguably as they only want to go to the wealthiest) - how s that managed?

If France denied him asylum why was he able to travel anywhere else, what is their policy on those denied asylum? I do think France is at fault where people drown as they know ( the UK being so close) that anyone denied asylum will have a go at getting there...by any means possible.I don’t mean it’s entirely their fault, but partly, what do they think those denied asylum will do?
Nobody is saying ‘it’s not our problem’ biba the UK is saying it’s a big problem and together we and France must come up with something if at all humanly possible.

What was the reason he was denied asylum? Surely the UK would agree with that reason and deny him too.

Food for thought?

MawB2 yes indeed

Very true and thought provoking Maw.

Poignant indeed Maw and sadly 20 years on from when that poem was written, very little has changed.

Apologies.
My error.
It was written this year not 2000.

should have gone to ?

?

....and just as true/false as the man in a cap in France and Austria and Belgium etc as he scans his border.
It’s an emotive poem to remind us that we are all human, but who is also written by somebody who hates Tories.....so a political bit of point scoring sadly.It would work better as a poem/ thought without that bit in.
The UK is rescuing migrants and bringing them here whilst they apply for asylum.... I really think that people who hate them are in the minority.

Poem (?).
Trite.

I don’t hate anybody. I just wish people would go through the legal channels to apply to live here.

Urmstongran one of the legal channels is to land on the shore and claim asylum.

If ONLY they could apply from, say, Calais Urmsongran