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UK government ‘misleading’ public over ‘illegal’ Channel crossings: MP
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LONDON, 31 January 2022, (TON): An MP has told media “British Home Secretary Priti Patel is misleading the British public by labeling migrant Channel crossings as illegal.”
In December last year, judges ruled that refugees who attempt to reach a British port or are rescued at sea have not committed a crime.
Lord Justice Edis said “as the law presently stands, an asylum seeker who merely attempts to arrive at the frontiers of the UK in order to make a claim is not entering or attempting to enter the country unlawfully.”
But following the case, Patel and other government figures have continued to describe the growing number of crossing attempts as illegal.
Scottish National Party MP Stuart McDonald, who sits on the Home Affairs Committee, said that Patel’s choice of words is “a misleading way of talking about the issue and totally mischaracterizes what is happening.”
He added “it is quite a deliberate attempt to dehumanize these people and make the public think worse of them.”
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