These nonsensical proposals are a shockingly cruel and brutal tactic of the UK Government’s hostile environment. People seeking protection in the UK after fleeing war, terror and oppression deserve to have their cases heard within the UK, and should be entitled to a safe and secure place to stay while awaiting a decision. Outsourcing our country’s responsibilities through offshore processing centres cannot fulfil these basic rights.
This disgraceful announcement has also been made without consultation. The consultation that did take place on the UK Government’s New Plan for Immigration was inappropriately outsourced, very short and exclusionary to many with experience of the asylum system, as well as Scottish stakeholders. The UK can, and must, do better than this.
