The UK’s Illegal Migration Bill will have grave consequences for health and human welfare

The UK’s Illegal Migration Bill, announced by the home secretary on 7 March 2023, will have devastating humanitarian and medical consequences for people seeking sanctuary in the UK. On a daily basis, we at MSF witness the grave impact worldwide of violent policies that focus on deterrence and containment to control asylum. We know that these practices cost lives.

This bill is supposedly aimed at preventing “illegal” immigration by punishing and effectively banning people who come to the UK irregularly—mainly by crossing the English Channel in small boats—from claiming asylum. This is particularly insidious policy making because, for most people seeking safety, virtually no safe and legal routes are accessible, as the government has systematically closed or severely restricted them. Consequently, many people are left with no choice but to attempt dangerous crossings to reach the UK—even with the threat of punishment if they arrive. The legislation is deliberately designed to inflict harm on, and dehumanise people seeking safety.

MSF teams around the world work with people who have been displaced by violence, persecution, and other hardships. Many are survivors of torture, trafficking, and sexual violence, or members of marginalised communities. Under the new bill’s stipulations, all of these people would be barred from receiving protection in the UK if they arrived without prior permission. This is in spite of the Home Office’s own data, which show that the clear majority of people crossing the English Channel go on to be granted refugee status.1

The bill allows authorities to detain—immediately and indefinitely—people who arrive in the UK irregularly, before they are removed to Rwanda, another “safe” country, or their country of origin. This is a colossal expansion of the official and de facto detention of people. Realistically, removing people seeking asylum from the UK will not be a workable policy and will simply strip people—including children, pregnant women, families, and survivors of torture and trafficking—of their dignity and rights. They will be contained, indefinitely, away from local communities, with no opportunity to claim asylum, insufficient access to healthcare, and no idea when, or even if their situation will change.

This uncertainty, lack of dignified treatment, and the conditions of detention have serious health consequences. In Greece, where MSF works with people seeking safety who are contained in isolated and highly securitised centres on Lesvos and Samos islands, our teams have seen many people with serious mental and physical health problems. Most people have fled conflict or persecution and have been exposed to appalling levels of violence during their migration journeys. Between September 2021 and September 2022, 40% of MSF’s patients with mental health problems on Samos had symptoms related to psychological trauma.2 Although the situation has now improved, our teams previously witnessed high levels of mental health suffering among the people there, exacerbated by deplorable accommodation conditions and a lack of information on their legal status or length of confinement. In 2022, our staff routinely treated patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental health problems.2 The UK government has publicly stated that it views the Greek approach as a model for its own policy.