Theresa May refuses EU quota on migrants

British Home Secretary Theresa May has refused to take responsibility for migrants affected in the Mediterranean boat crisis.

The Home office has rejected the proposed EU emergency resettlement program and said it will deny entry to any refugees or asylum seekers from outside of Europe intending to relocate within its borders.

The hard-line decision was criticized by British refugee organizations working to help migrants affected by the recent Mediterranean tragedies. Anna Musgrave from the Refugee Council said: “it is shameful that the British government seems eager to opt out of doing the right thing by some of the world’s most desperate people”.

The Home Office defended its decision stating it boasts a proud history of offering asylum to those in need “but we do not believe that a mandatory system of resettlement is the answer. We will oppose any EU commission proposals to introduce a non-voluntary quota.”

The ministry said: “when a new piece of legislation in the area of justice and home affairs – including asylum policy – is proposed, the UK can choose whether or not to participate in it. We will not participate in any legislation imposing a mandatory system of resettlement or relocation.”

Theresa May said the focus should instead be on outlining “a more effective process of returning illegal migrants”.

The new EU legislation looks “for a mandatory and automatically triggered relocation system to distribute those in clear need of international protection within the EU when a mass influx emerges”.

A British Refugee Council spokesperson said: “we must create legal routes to safety so that people aren't forced to place their lives in the hands of the smugglers in the first place. The British government consistently claims it has a proud tradition of protecting refugees. Now is the time to prove it.”

Head of policy at Amnesty International UK, Allan Hogarth said: “the UK should obviously wait to see the details, but in principle it ought to remain open-minded about a refugee quota scheme. After all, how can it be fair that countries like Italy or Germany take on most of the responsibility for offering refuge to at-risk people?

“The truly appalling loss of life in the Mediterranean this year ought to be a wake-up call to the government and Britain should be providing a helping hand to people who've been through hellish experiences,” he said.

Libyan ambassador to the US, Ibrahim Dabbashi expressed his concerns on the planned EU military action “to identify, capture and destroy vessels before they are used by traffickers”.

“They have left us in the dark about what their intentions are, what kind of military actions they are going to take in our territorial waters, so that is very worrying, We want to know … how they can distinguish between the fishers’ boats and the traffickers’ boats”.

SU/HA

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