The U.K. wants a cheaper way to handle migrants. But not this one

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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