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Foreign nationals found guilty of sex offenses will no longer have the right to seek asylum in the UK, announced Yvette Cooper, as the Labour Party aims to address the rising influence of the Reform party ahead of local elections on Thursday.
This new provision will mark the first instance of exempting overseas individuals listed on the sex offender register from refugee protections.
The change has raised concerns among human rights advocates, who criticize the potential haste in altering immigration laws to tackle the political momentum generated by Nigel Farage’s party.
Leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, has accused the Reform party and the Conservatives of misleading the British public, hinting at an impending coalition agreement that they refuse to acknowledge.
The new policy will be enacted through an amendment to the asylum, border security, and immigration bill currently under consideration in Parliament, as stated by the Home Office.
According to international refugee conventions, nations are permitted to deny asylum to individuals who have committed what is identified as a “particularly serious crime.” In the UK, a sentence of one year or more is regarded as defining a “serious crime.”
Under the forthcoming amendments, anyone convicted of a crime and placed on the sex offender register will automatically be classified as having committed a “particularly serious crime,” irrespective of their sentence length.
Home Office representatives have not disclosed how many more foreign offenders would be deported due to this policy update. An impact assessment has been conducted, although the results have yet to be made public.
Statistics from official sources indicate that, as of late March, there were 451 foreign nationals serving sentences of under 12 months in England and Wales. However, there is no data specifically delineating how many of these individuals are sex offenders.
Those facing removal from the UK may still assert a right to remain under the European Convention on Human Rights, sources noted. The new regulations will also cover foreign nationals convicted of sex offenses in their home countries.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, a prominent figure at Amnesty International UK, criticized the decision, describing it as a “careless approach to lawmaking” that has historically plagued immigration legislation.
Valdez-Symonds remarked, “Rushing through significant amendments to legislation undermines the necessary scrutiny and thought they deserve, potentially leading to injustices.”
He emphasized that excluding individuals from refugee protections without thorough, individualized evaluations not only compromises fairness but also stifles integration, leaving people stuck in limbo with no path forward.
The Home Office is also expected to instruct courts to expedite the timeframe for processing asylum appeals, especially for individuals in supported accommodation.
As part of the amendments, a 24-week benchmark is set for first-tier immigration tribunals to resolve appeals from those in supported asylum accommodation and foreign offenders, aiming to alleviate the ongoing backlog in asylum applications.
Additionally, the Home Office plans to implement artificial intelligence technologies to assist with the processing of asylum claims, which may enhance efficiency by summarizing interview transcripts and accessing country-specific information, potentially saving caseworkers significant time.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, acknowledged the need for a quicker appeals process but stressed the necessity for increased funding to ensure its effectiveness.
He stated, “Simply speeding up the appeals cannot occur in isolation and must not compromise individuals’ access to justice.” Solomon warned against previous attempts that have led to increased court backlogs due to inadequate initial decisions.
With elections approaching, the Reform party is poised to gain hundreds of council seats and lead in key mayoral races, a trend that has raised concerns within Labour ranks regarding their competitiveness in traditionally strong areas.
Some MPs express anxiety over the government’s responses regarding migration and related social policy issues, fearing that electoral pressures might skew Labour’s position to the right.
“We must resist overcompensating in response to Reform,” noted one MP. “We can champion Labour’s core values, particularly relating to immigration. If we seek economic advancement, legal migration must play an integral role in that vision.”
The number of migrants arriving in the UK via Channel crossings has approached 10,000 this year, coinciding with predictions of warmer weather early in the upcoming week of 2025.
Concerns have previously been raised regarding cases like that of Abdul Ezedi, a man who conducted a chemical attack in Clapham while previously being granted asylum, despite being a registered sex offender. In 2020, a judge ruled in his favor, citing his conversion to Christianity as a mitigating factor.
Ezedi had been handed a suspended sentence in January 2018 for sexual assault and exposure, which led to his inclusion on the sex offender register for a decade.
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