Thread by @stand_for_all

THREAD: Seeing as @thetimes has decided to publish a "helpful" Q&A on asylum seekers and channel crossings it's probably a good idea to look at the answers in more depth, because they seem to be missing a few things. 1/
thetimes.co.uk/article/only-f…

Yes, channel crossings have increased, but importantly other routes, including the much lauded government resettlement routes, have been closed. Overall for much of the pandemic asylum applications have been down on previous years. 2/
thetimes.co.uk/article/only-f…

Even should asylum applications hit par though, which is possible with recent crossings, or even exceed pre-pandemic levels, the UK would still be taking far fewer asylum seekers than majority of EU states, ranking about 17th per head of population. 3/
unhcr.org/uk/asylum-in-t…

Technically correct, but look at the language used here. "Problem", putting "other craft at risk". Now, language like this automatically places those crossings in the category of a "threat to others". Not exactly helpful when discussing people trying to reach safety. 4/

Okay, setting aside the "increasingly popular" line, which makes it sound as though asylum seekers are on a package holiday. The numbers we are seeing now aren't close to the "record", set at a time when there were far fewer resources for protection. 5/
kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/the-…

True, we have no idea how many deaths there have been in the channel. What we do know though is that as routes close people are forced to take longer, more dangerous, journeys, which increases the risk of greater loss of life. 6/
infomigrants.net/en/post/31342/…

If you're going to state the reason and then dismiss it out of hand you really should back it up. All evidence we have shows family ties and language are main reasons for crossings. If it were labour market we would expect to see UK ranked higher than 17th for applications. 7/

Could have just left it at "yes" to be honest. Asylum seekers in the UK are denied the right to work while applications are being processed, although this is currently under fire due to how it pushes people into poverty, increasing risk of exploitation. 8/
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

There's a lot to unpick in this particular answer. Fair dues, they admit that asylum allowances are higher in France than the UK, but the phrasing, and, shall we say, omissions, are interesting, to put it charitably. 9/

First off, what can asylum seekers receive in France. Well, they get healthcare for one thing. Children between 6 and 16 are also covered by compulsory education, so making out the UK is different in providing these things seems a bit disingenuous. 10/
domasile.info/en/what-social…

Unlike the UK which denies asylum seekers the right to work for the duration of their claim being processed, which can take years, asylum seekers are also allowed to work after six months, so why frame it as a negative "not allowed", as if the UK is better? 11/

And to housing. As with France and asylum seeker may get placed in accommodation while their claim is being heard. This can be anywhere, and they have no say over it, and if they refuse it they risk being homeless or put into immigration detention. 12/
gov.uk/asylum-support…

Something not mentioned in the Time's answer is that in France asylum seekers are allowed a bank account. In the UK they have to rely on what is known as an ASPEN card, which limits their ability to spend and has led to serious issues. 13/
theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/j…

What the Times refers to as "turnback" powers are more commonly referred to as "pushbacks" and, to put it simply, are massively illegal. So much so for example that even Border Force are looking at a legal challenge to prevent their implementation. 14/
theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/n…

As for "safe countries". Trickier one here as under existing legislation UK can return someone whose asylum application has been denied to a "safe country". Key thing being, that they should have their claim heard first, particularly as safety is subjective. 15/

What is important though is that under international law asylum seekers are not required to seek asylum in any particular country, that whole "first safe country" line is meaningless. People can already be returned, but you need to process the claim. 16/
unhcr.org/uk/uk-immigrat…

Why wouldn't somewhere like France be deemed safe though? Well, as already noted, family ties and language contribute to where someone feels safe, but also a number of EU countries have less than stellar records when it comes to abusing asylum seekers. 17/
hrw.org/world-report/2…

For ease I will combine the final three questions as they all relate to what is known as "offshoring". Offshoring is the idea that an asylum seeker can have their claim processed in a third case, and isn't a new idea. It was also proposed under Blair. 18/
ceps.eu/ceps-publicati…

It requires consent of a third country in first place, and while there may be a possibility of it, based on current reports, that Albania, a key location for traffickers which raises further issues, may do so, as yet the UK has no agreements in place. 19/
theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/j…

If you want to relate it to Australia then you also start to see that it is an incredibly dangerous proposition, which risks violating a number of international laws, and increases risk of mental health issues, loss of life etc. 20/
politico.eu/article/doubts…

On a practical level it is also a pretty pricey pointless exercise. Look at it this way, you still have to process the claim fairly. So you are paying to fly someone to another country, paying that country to host them, and then potentially having to pay to fly them back. 21/

It also places people at more risk of exploitation, and keep in mind that under the current wording of the #BordersBill children are included in potential plans for offshoring. You can see why even @Conservatives MPs are trying to prevent it happening. 22/
theguardian.com/politics/2021/…

Despite claims by @pritipatel to the contrary, evidence shows majority of those crossing the channel are refugees. So it is incredibly important to get the facts straight as we are talking about highly vulnerable people. 23/
refugeecouncil.org.uk/wp-content/upl…

Oh, and just back to that thing about Albania potentially hosting an offshoring facility, yeah, not happening. Not great when the Albania Minister of Foreign Affairs has to call out government claims on social media. 24/

https://twitter.com/xhacka_olta/status/1461262182193283077?s=20