The Nationality and Borders Act includes plans to send refugees to another country when processing claims

Last modified on Tuesday, November 16, 2021 12.15 EST

Former Conservative Party Minister David Davis has called for a controversial plan to send asylum seekers to another country while their applications are processed to be invalidated.

The government’s Nationality and Borders Act contains provisions that have aroused cross-party concern. These include “offshore” asylum seekers who criminalize the way people enter the UK and grant certain people new “lower” refugee status based on how they enter the UK.

In an amendment submitted on Tuesday, Davis called on members of Congress to remove the clause in the bill that allows asylum seekers to be removed overseas during processing.

The Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP politicians all expressed concern about this provision. Some leading Conservatives, such as the former prime minister and former home secretary Theresa May, have expressed that she has “real concerns” about these proposals.

Critics pointed out that Australia has problems transferring asylum seekers to Manus Island and other places in Papua New Guinea.

The opposition party in Westminster previously proposed an amendment to the bill that would exempt victims of torture, sexual or gender-based violence, trafficking and modern slavery, LGBTQ people, severe physical or psychological disabilities People with health conditions, people under 18 years of age or older 70 and pregnant women are from the scope of offshore terms.

However, Home Affairs Minister Tom Persgrove rejected this, saying: "However, we simply cannot support any amendments designed to limit our ability to transfer individuals to a safe third country.

"I reassured the committee that we will only transfer individuals to countries that we think are safe for them. However, the amendment is too restrictive and cannot be used flexibly to consider the situation of the country concerned."

Human rights activists expressed concern that the bill does not guarantee the exclusion of children.

Detention Operations Director Bella Sankey said: “As many members of Congress know, long-term detention of children, trafficked persons and torture survivors in offshore facilities will lead to immense human suffering and a shameful legacy.

“Australia’s offshore camps allow rampant sexual and physical abuse, costing more than £2 million per person per year, and have not taken any measures to prevent dangerous boat trips. If MPs want to avoid being complicit in this failed experiment, We will urge them to sign David Davis’s principled amendments to the Nationality and Borders Act."

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "The British public has had enough of people dying in the strait, while ruthless criminal gangs have profited from their suffering. Our new immigration program provides the only long-term solution to repair the broken system. We It’s correct to put all the options on the table."

More than 100,000 people signed a series of related petitions organized by various organizations (Refugee Action, Refugee Committee, Freedom from Torture and Strong Voice) to protest the bill. The petition will be filed at 10 Downing Street later on Tuesday. At the same time, members of Congress were invited to take part in a photo of Westminster, which symbolically classifies the nationality and border bills that are copied in a symbolic way.

In addition to the amendment proposed by Davis on Tuesday, other lawmakers also proposed amendments to remove the clause that allows refugees to be treated differently based on how they arrive in the UK.

Other amendments include disallowing immigrants and law enforcement personnel from prosecution under certain circumstances, and protecting those who help save lives at sea from prosecution. In July 2021, the bill passed its second reading by a vote of 366 to 265.