An asylum system under relaxation

Wolfgang Hansson

Published: Today 09.57 Updated: Today 10.26 

This is a commentary text. Analysis and positions are the writer's.

COLUMNISTS 

Stopping the refugee smugglers is a laudable purpose. 

But is the UK just trying to use that as an excuse to avoid receiving asylum seekers? 

A flight to Rwanda that never took off may symbolize an asylum system during loosening.

At the last minute, the chartered flight was stopped by an intervention by the European Court of Human Rights. Photo: Getty Images 

The rich world is becoming increasingly inventive in its ways of reinterpreting or trying to circumvent the international conventions that govern the asylum system intended to give vulnerable people the right to protection. 

The latest innovation is to lease the entire asylum process to countries in Africa, among other places. 

The United Kingdom has signed an agreement with Rwanda which means that the African country will receive SEK 1.5 billion to receive an unknown number of asylum seekers who have come to the United Kingdom on rickety boats across the English Channel. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to stop the refugee smugglers who profit from arranging these life-threatening journeys, where it is not uncommon for refugees to drown in their attempts to reach the British Isles. 

If the refugees know that they will instead be flown to Rwanda, they will refrain from making the trip and thus the foundation for the refugee smugglers' business idea will be torn away, Johnson reasons. 

Critics suspect that what it's really about is that the British government wants to sharply reduce the number of asylum seekers it receives. 

The agreement with Rwanda means that those who are eventually granted asylum receive protection there. They must never set foot on British soil.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to stop the refugee smugglers who profit from arranging trips where it is not uncommon for refugees to drown. Photo: Getty Images

Stopped the flight

This week, the first plane with refugees would have left the UK with a destination in Kigali, but at the last minute, the chartered flight was stopped by an intervention by the European Court of Human Rights.

However, the British government immediately announced that it intends to organize a new flight to Rwanda as soon as possible. 

The British have left the EU and one of the main arguments was to take "back control" over the country's borders. The British want to hand-pick who will be allowed to enter. 

But the EU country Denmark is also considering similar paths. Danish government representatives have visited Kigali to discuss a similar agreement. 

If the Danish-British experiments get underway and prove to work, I am convinced that other western countries will try to sign similar agreements. 

The Rwanda experiment is another sign of how the international asylum system is about to crack. 

The great wave of refugees to Europe in 2015 became the starting point for trying to stop similar refugee flows in the future. European countries fought over who was the toughest in their attempts to ward off asylum seekers, while many heads of government declared their support for the right to seek asylum.

The agreement with Rwanda means that those who are eventually granted asylum receive protection there. They must never set foot on British soil. Photo: Getty Images 

The system is being 

abused Failure to integrate, fear of Islamization and terrorism, a popular reluctance to accept large numbers of refugees from distant lands are some of the reasons for the turnaround. 

But also that the asylum system is abused by people who are not really in need of protection but are just looking for a better life. Many refuse to return to their home countries when they are refused asylum applications and instead become part of the shadow society where undeclared work, crime and poverty flourish. 

Common to almost all today's migrants, regardless of asylum reasons, is that they pay smugglers to get to Europe. It has created an unscrupulous business that has a turnover of many billions of kronor and drives the traffic of people who make the dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean, the Atlantic or the English Channel. 

Since 2014, an average of over 2,000 refugees have drowned each year in their attempts to reach Europe.  

It is in everyone's interest to stop the smugglers. The only question is how to go about it when the demand to get to the rich world is so great.

The EU has already made attempts. In 2016, an agreement was reached with Turkey, which means that the country, for a fee, undertakes to stop the refugees from moving on to Europe. It is an agreement that has been heavily criticized by some but which has also been effective in stopping travel across this part of the Mediterranean. 

 

Enormous willingness to help 

 

The EU has considered similar paths as the British and Danes by moving the asylum process to countries in, for example, North Africa. Then those who are granted asylum would be able to get to Europe safely. But the question is what happens to all those who are rejected. Will they accept a no and kindly return to their home countries or will they still try to get to Europe illegally? 

 

The asylum system that was built up after the Second World War to help future refugees is under extremely strong pressure. More and more rich countries want to reduce the number of non-European refugees. 

 

But the war in Ukraine shows that when it comes to neighboring countries, the willingness to help is impressive. Look at Poland, which refused to accept refugees in 2015 but has now received over two million Ukrainians. 

 It is obvious that we feel a greater responsibility for people in our immediate area than those from foreign cultures on other continents. But the right to asylum presupposes that we treat everyone equally.

 

 

A woman protests against Britain's new asylum policy. Photo: Getty Images