As part of a Home Office pilot program, some asylum seekers arriving in the United Kingdom via small boats or the back of trucks are being electronically tagged.
Those tagged by the system may be subject to a curfew or prohibited from certain locations.
The department stated that the 12-month pilot program, which began on Wednesday, will examine whether electronic monitoring is an effective method for granting immigration bail to asylum seekers who enter the country via “unnecessary and dangerous” routes.
The trial, according to the Home Office, will examine whether tagging facilitates regular contact with migrants granted bail and advances their claims more efficiently.
Saturday, when questioned about the policy, Boris Johnson stated that its purpose was to ensure that “asylum seekers cannot simply vanish into the rest of the country.”
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, accused the government of “chasing headlines” with this plan and demanded a “serious response.”
“I am adamantly in favor of putting an end to the trafficking and criminal gangs that are responsible for this.
“This requires a mature, serious response, collaboration with French authorities, and upstream pursuit of the gangs. I don’t believe the government’s plans will accomplish that,” he said.
It comes after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) granted an injunction on Tuesday that prevented a chartered aircraft from departing Wiltshire for Kigali.
The decision prompted Home Secretary Priti Patel to accuse the non-EU-affiliated court of being politically motivated.
Individuals who are tagged will be required to report to authorities regularly, may be subject to a curfew or prohibited from certain locations, and failure to comply could result in their return to detention or prosecution.
It is unclear how many individuals will be tagged.
A spokesperson for the Home Office stated, “The government will not be deterred as it plans the next flight to Rwanda.”
“We will hold as many individuals in detention as the law allows, but if a court orders that a passenger on Tuesday’s flight be released, we will tag them accordingly.”
It follows the release of new data indicating that the number of people crossing the Channel to reach Britain this year has exceeded 11,000.
According to an analysis of Ministry of Defence data by the PA news agency, 11,092 people have been rescued from small boats in the Channel, the world’s busiest shipping lane, and brought to shore by Border Force or the RNLI.
On Thursday, 146 people were brought to Britain on four small boats.
After reaching a high of 444 on Tuesday, the daily number has steadily declined throughout the week. It was the highest total since 562 in April.
Thursday, at least 48 people were brought ashore at Dover, including women, children, and adult men.
This week’s warm weather and calm seas may have encouraged an increase in crossing attempts.
Ms. Patel, criticizing the ECHR’s ruling on Tuesday’s Rwanda flight (which had no more than seven people on board), told the Daily Telegraph, “The opaque manner in which this court has operated is scandalous.” This must be called into question.
“We don’t know who the judges are, we don’t know who the panel is, and we haven’t received a ruling – just a press release and a letter stating that we cannot move this individual by rule 39.
They have never used this ruling before, which raises questions about their motivation and lack of transparency.
The ECHR protects the human rights of people in Council of Europe member states, including the United Kingdom. It is entirely distinct from the European Union and consists of numbered articles that protect fundamental human rights.
He wrote on Twitter, “As we’ve repeatedly stated, the Church of England’s opposition to deporting asylum seekers without assessment or care is not because Rwanda is the destination.”
We would oppose such inhumane treatment wherever it was administered.
“We oppose this policy because it outsources our responsibilities and treats people who are vulnerable and traumatized with no dignity, compassion, or justice.”
This is not the way God instructs us to treat one another.
“We will continue to advocate for a humane and effective immigration system and support national and local governments in their efforts to implement it.”
In addition, we will continue to assist parishes in welcoming asylum seekers and others from abroad.”
