· 2 min read
illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The New York Times or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: Sunak’s government is taking an increasingly hardline approach to undocumented migrants, including strengthening policies to deport asylum seekers, increasing the number of detained migrants, and canceling a pilot program that helped them to resolve their immigration status
• This is in stark contrast to past practices that aimed at reducing the number of people in immigration detention, for both humanitarian and economic reasons
🔭 The context: Britain has one of the largest immigration detention programs in Europe, and unlike countries in the European Union, has no time limit on detention
• Over the years, the Conservative governments have pursued increasingly aggressive immigration policies, causing a rift in public and political opinions
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: With an estimated 800,000 to 1.2 million people living outside the UK's official immigration system, the nation's policies have direct, large-scale impacts
• The government's hard-line stance highlights a shift from earlier, more humane approaches, and the heightening of immigration barriers across the world
⏭️ What's next: The UK's Supreme Court is considering the legality of the contentious plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda
• Meanwhile, the government's policies have sparked debates about the country's long-term strategy
💬 One quote: “Given the ambiguity around how long people may be detained for following the Illegal Migration Act, the government may find that it is cost-effective to explore alternatives.” (Sachin Savur, a researcher at the Institute for Government)
📈 One stat: An independent assessment commissioned by the U.N. refugee agency found the pilot programs to be two-thirds cheaper than detention, raising questions about the cost-effectiveness of the UK's aggressive detention policies
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