Sorry but the UK is full to capacity: Comprehending the UK policy approach to tackling the Europe migrant crisis

Eda, Luke

Abstract

"Let the migrants drown, we have lost our sense of common humanity" is widely believed by critics to be the UK’s perceived policy stance about migrants trying to reach Europe. The UK government on its own believes that the rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea are acting as a pull factor motivating migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossings leading to unnecessary loss of lives. This paper interrogates both sides of the problem by examining the consistency of UK migration policies with international legal standards, notably the principle of non-refoulement which stands as the cornerstone of asylum and of international refugee law. The paper argues that the UK policy approach to tackling the Migrants’ crisis is shared by other European States and therefore a faster, fairer and more coordinated regional response to the crisis is required. Otherwise all national efforts will simply be an exercise in futility.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: Faculty of Media and Communication (FMC) PGR Conference
• Start Date: Nov 17, 2017
• Deposit Date: Dec 9, 2022
• Keywords: UK Migration Policy, Europe Migrant Crisis
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10230170
• Related Public URLs: https://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2021/05/06/fmc-research-process-seminars-upcoming-sessions-all-staff-and-research-students-welcome/