Opposition continues as UK Illegal Migration Bill set to become law

The Commission reiterates its opposition to the UK Government’s Illegal Migration Bill, which has been passed at Westminster. 

The legislation, which amounts to an almost total ban on asylum, puts the UK in clear breach of its obligations under international human rights and refugee law. 

The Bill has been widely condemned by human rights experts domestically and internationally, including by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who warn that the new legislation “significantly erodes the legal framework that has protected so many, exposing refugees to grave risks in breach of international law”. 

The legislation removes the rights of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. The Commission is also concerned about the danger that other states in Europe and beyond will follow the example set by the UK Government, threatening the functioning and credibility of the international human rights system. 

While immigration policy is reserved to the UK Parliament, many aspects of policy related to the treatment of refugees in Scotland are within the Scottish Parliament’s remit. We join human rights campaigners across Scotland in opposing this legislation. The Scottish Government and Members of the Scottish Parliament must do everything possible to mitigate the Bill’s impact in Scotland.