Small boat ban will punish victims of human trafficking
6 Mar 2023
EMBARGO: IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Responding to the Government's new plan to "detain and swiftly remove" asylum seekers who arrive on small boats, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said:
"This is another half baked plan that will punish the victims of human trafficking instead of the evil gangs who profit from these crossings.
"We all want to see these dangerous crossings stop, but there are currently no safe and legal routes for asylum seekers. Creating these needs to be the priority.
"Just like their botched Rwanda asylum scheme, this is immoral, ineffective and incredibly costly for taxpayers while doing nothing to stop small boat crossings."
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
Reported by BBC here.