Aslyum Seekers With No Papers Face Prison (UK)

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 10-28-2003 | Andrew Sparrow

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Asylum seekers with no papers face prison

By Andrew Sparrow, Political Correspondent
(Filed: 28/10/2003)

Measures including a two-year prison sentence for refugees who destroy their travel documents were announced by David Blunkett yesterday.

The Home Secretary described his proposals as the "remaining" phase of the Government's reforms to speed up the asylum application process.

Mr Blunkett claimed that asylum applications had halved over the past year as a result of the "tough" policies already introduced. His new proposals would create a "swifter and fairer" appeals system and penalise people like "dubious legal advisers" who abused the system.

Last week Mr Blunkett announced he would grant an amnesty to up to 50,000 asylum seekers who had been in the country for more than three years.

The new proposals, which are expected to be included in a Bill in the next parliamentary session, are designed to ensure that a similar backlog does not build up in future.

Oliver Letwin, the shadow home secretary, said he would "look constructively" at the plans but added that a radical overhaul of the system was needed. Amnesty International claimed that punishing asylum seekers without proper documents could be in breach of international law.

These are Mr Blunkett's main proposals:

Penalties for destroying documents: Most people who apply for asylum do not have proper documents. The Home Office believes that many of them deliberately destroy their passports or identity cards so they can lie about their circumstances.

Under the proposals, it will be an offence punishable by up to two years in jail to fail to provide a reasonable explanation for not having the proper documents at immigration control, or to fail to co-operate with the authorities issuing replacement documents.

Some asylum seekers destroy their passports while flying to Britain. On these routes the Home Office is considering making airlines photocopy their passengers' documents before take-off.

Faster appeals system: At present there is a two-stage appeals system for asylum seekers, involving an appeal first to an adjudicator and then to the immigration appeals tribunal. Some applicants then launch further appeals in the courts, using judicial review. The Home Office wants to replace the two-stage process with a single appeal to an asylum and immigration tribunal, with cases heard by immigration judges.

Clampdown on unscrupulous advisers: The Home Office believes that some immigration advisers deliberately help asylum seekers to cheat the system. It has already appointed an immigration services commissioner to regulate firms offering legal advice in this field. However, it is thought that about 1,000 advisers have refused to register with the commissioner. Under the proposals, unregulated firms which advertise will be committing an offence punishable by a fine of up to £2,500.

Safe third countries: The Home Office can already return asylum seekers to third countries where they originally lodged a claim. Under the proposals, the law will be changed so that people cannot challenge their removal to designated safe third countries.

Cutting benefit: Under the current rules, families denied asylum lose their right to benefit when they fail to comply with an order to leave. The Home Office wants them to lose support as soon as their final appeal fails.

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My dad used to say something about closing the barn door after the horses were already gone.

[Tacis]

Hey, tell these poor folks that, if they'll pay a modest fee to Presidente Fox, we can get them official matricula card documents in whatever name or names they want and, for sure, a California driver's license. Has to be cash though, no third party checks.

Line up in front of the Mexican Embassy there in London. Geez, too bad, though. They just missed the special California governer election. The dem party was pay $5, US cash money, for every Mexican who voted to retain Davis. A hard working Mexican could have made himself a couple of hundred dollars in an afternoon.