Asylum seekers and refugees in Newcastle have condemned the Government’s latest attempts to crack down on small boats crossing the Channel.
Rishi Sunak said this week that migrants arriving in the UK illegally will be removed “within weeks” as proposals were unveiled that would also permanently ban them from re-entering the country or gaining citizenship. The Prime Minister claimed that the controversial Illegal Migration Bill was “necessary and fair”, but it has come in for severe criticism from refugee groups.
One refugee, who has lived in Newcastle for the last nine months, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that coming to the UK by boat can feel like the “only safe route” for some desperate asylum seekers fleeing war and persecution. Fatma, who is now a campaigner with the West End Refugee Service (WERS), said: “They are putting themselves in these dangerous circumstances because that is their only choice.
