It is a point of international law and a sound moral principle that people seeking sanctuary from persecution should not be punished for the method by which they arrive in a place of safety. Asylum is granted on the basis of need, not as a conditional judgment of the route taken.
It follows that those who seek asylum should not be treated as effective prisoners while their claims are being processed. That principle has long been flouted in practice by the UK and is formally repudiated by the Illegal Migration Act, the legislative device by which Rishi Sunak hopes to satisfy his pledge to “stop the boats” that carry migrants across the Channel.
