According to estimates, the Government’s Illegal Migration Bill could result in the detention and deportation of more than 3,000 asylum applicants per month.
According to The Guardian, leaked briefing documents on the Home Office-backed Bill’s implementation imply that, once in effect, the law may result in the removal of 3,163 asylum seekers each month starting in January.
The documents, according to the newspaper, were created for Antonia Romeo, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice, and Alex Chalk, the secretary of justice.
The minister is not known to have seen the briefing, which is thought to be a draft.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice stated, “We do not comment on leaks.”
According to reports, the documents cautioned Mr. Chalk that if legal counsel is not given to anyone imprisoned under the Home Office plans, the Government may be subject to judicial review proceedings.
The briefing is quoted as telling the Cabinet minister: “You (Lord Chancellor) will have a statutory duty to secure that legal aid is available to this cohort… not addressing capacity issues could mean that there are not sufficient legal aid providers to carry out this work. This could be challenged by way of judicial review.”
It also says that officials are getting ready for 1,600 people to be held starting in September, with a potential increase in that number starting in January.
The Illegal Migration Bill intends to reduce the daily £5.5 million cost of hosting migrants who enter the UK and sends asylum seekers who enter through unauthorized channels back home or to a third country like Rwanda.
But the Bill, which is currently before the House of Lords, has drawn criticism and attacks from activists who claim that it cannot be implemented.
