In a significant move, UK’s Interior Minister Suella Braverman will address the United States today, shedding light on the potential inadequacies of the present asylum laws, as reported by The Telegraph.
Braverman is expected to critically evaluate the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, questioning its relevance in today’s world. Pointing out that merely being a woman or identifying as LGBTQ should not qualify someone for protection under global refugee laws, the minister seeks to address underlying issues. The Telegraph’s investigations revealed that despite efforts by UK leaders such as Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to halt unlawful entries, tens of thousands still manage to penetrate UK borders annually.
Notably, Braverman’s skepticism towards international law isn’t a standalone instance. Previously, she voiced concerns about the European Convention on Human Rights and its later implications on other policies. The minister contends that the criteria for defining refugees have evolved over time, subsequently lowering the bar for asylum requests.
In her prepared remarks for the US, of which The Telegraph got a preview, Braverman observes: “This legal framework, rooted in the UN Refugee Convention, originally set up to assist in resettling individuals fleeing persecution post the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust, was initially Europe-centric and was an incredible achievement in its era.” She will further stress that 70 years later, in a drastically different world, the Refugee Convention has protected nearly two million people in Europe.
Backing her claims with a study from the Center for Immigration Policy Studies, Braverman will highlight that under current laws, hundreds of millions could theoretically reside in other countries without clear justification. “No less than 780 million individuals globally, theoretically, have the right to move to another country. Thus, policymakers and thought leaders need to ponder whether the Refugee Convention, and the way it’s been interpreted through our courts, is fitting for our modern era? Or if it necessitates reform?”
In conclusion, she criticizes the current situation where individuals can traverse multiple safe nations, even staying in them for years, only to pick their preferred asylum request destination, terming it as “absurd and unsustainable”.
It should be noted that high-ranking Conservative ministers have previously expressed their dissatisfaction with international migration rules. Dominic Raab, former Deputy Prime Minister until he resigned following bullying allegations, repeatedly vocalized his concerns regarding the European Convention on Human Rights.
