Illegal Migration Bill to have ‘profound impact’ on human rights, warns UNHCR

Article summary

The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) member Filippo Grandi, have warned that the Illegal Migration Bill will have ‘profound consequences for people in need of international protection’. In a press release published on 18 July 2023, Türk and Grandi comment on the provisions within the Bill which deny access to protection in the UK for any person at risk of persecution, having their human rights violated or find themselves victims of human trafficking or modern-day slavery. Both have commented negatively on the adequacy of the operational capacity to remove large numbers of asylum-seekers, who would now be expected to remain in the UK ‘indefinitely in precarious legal situations'.