Your Wednesday Briefing
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Rights advocates condemn U.K. asylum plan
The British government yesterday introduced a plan that would allow it to transfer asylum seekers out of the country while their applications are being processed and to criminalize entering the country illegally. Human rights groups say the policies would violate international laws.
The bill places refugees in two distinct groups based on their mode of arrival in Britain — either through resettlement or via irregular means, such as a boat or truck, which would be treated as a criminal matter and result in an arrest.
Bridget Chapman, a spokeswoman for the Kent Refugee Action Network, said that Britain had “a shared responsibility” to accept people who were applying for asylum. “We can’t outsource that to poorer countries, that’s an abdication of responsibility,” she added.