A new law will place a duty on the home secretary to remove anyone who enters the UK by an illegal route.
A bill that is expected to be introduced on Tuesday would also make it harder for people who come to the UK illegally to get asylum or come back in the future.
In an article for the Sun, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the plans were “fair for both those who live in Nepal and those who have a good reason to seek asylum.”
Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, said that the plans would not work.
Last year, more than 45,000 people crossed the Channel to get to the UK. In 2018, only about 300 people did this, which put pressure on the government to do something about it.
Under the plans, the home secretary would have to send people who come to the UK illegally back to where they came from.
This “duty to remove” would be more important than the right to ask for asylum, but there would be exceptions for people under the age of 18 and people with serious health problems.
Anyone who was kicked out wouldn’t be able to come back to the UK or try to become a British citizen in the future.
Even though the bill won’t become law for a few months, it will be applied retroactively. This means that anyone who comes to the UK illegally after Tuesday could be sent home.
In an opinion piece for the Sun, Mr. Sunak said that the UK has a “proud history of welcoming those most in need” and that the new measures are “fair for those at home and those who have a legitimate claim to asylum.”
“Those who come on small boats aren’t directly fleeing a war-torn country or facing an immediate threat to their lives,” he said.
“Instead, they went through safe countries in Europe before crossing the English Channel. People who come here legally should not have to deal with this, and enough is enough.”
He also said that the plans would “send a clear message that if you come to this country illegally, you will be quickly removed” and “help break the business model of people smugglers.”