The acting head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Gavin Robinson, has asserted that it is crucial for the UK government to take preventive measures to stop Northern Ireland from becoming an appealing destination for asylum seekers. This remark followed a judgement by a Belfast judge that excluded Northern Ireland from adhering to large parts of the United Kingdom’s Illegal Migration Act, due to the rights secured through the post-Brexit Windsor Framework.
Mr Robinson insisted that the UK government should not encourage a distinctive immigration boundary across the Irish Sea, such that Northern Ireland has to follow different rules than the rest of the nation. The court ruling made on Monday would lead to significant parts of the Act being inapplicable in Northern Ireland.
A critical element of the new legislation suggests that if asylum seekers are believed to have entered the UK unlawfully, they are liable to be detained and then transferred to Rwanda. Mr Robinson voiced that the DUP had repeatedly cautioned the government that their immigration laws were discordant with the post-Brexit agreements outlined in the Northern Ireland Protocol/Windsor Framework.
The DUP leader stated that while the judgement was foreseeable, it debunked the government’s rash assertions that the Rwanda scheme could be extended uniformly to Northern Ireland. While pressing for amendments to the Safety of Rwanda Bill, the DUP had given the government a chance to clarify legal aspects of the scheme’s implementation.
The government’s decision not to take up this opportunity is revealing. This judgement should act as a turning point in how the government handles immigration. Ignoring the court’s instructions would be tantamount to consciously establishing an immigration border in the Irish Sea.
Mr Robinson underlined that it is absolutely essential that immigration laws apply uniformly across the UK. He stated that it is a fundamental belief for unionists that national immigration decisions should apply across the entire country. If not, it would be considered a breach of the constitution, resulting in Northern Ireland becoming attractive to asylum seekers looking to evade enforcement.
In a recent statement, Jim Allister, the leader of Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), chastised the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for their decision to revive devolution at Stormont earlier this year. This decision was based on the governmental paper titled “Safeguarding the Union”, which defiantly stated that the implementation of the UK’s immigration regulations in Northern Ireland wouldn’t be influenced by post-Brexit agreements finalised in Brussels.
Allister denounced this as yet another disgraceful erosion of the UK’s sovereignty, essentially transforming Northern Ireland into an outpost of EU jurisdiction where Brussels’ laws prevail, not those of London. Additionally, he pointed out the inauthenticity of the DUP’s “Safeguarding the Union” publication, particularly in reference to paragraph 46. This guarantees that the Rwanda Bill remains unaffected by the Protocol, a promise that he believes was spectacularly debunked by a recent ruling from the High Court.
Allister bemoaned not only the establishment of a trading border in the Irish Sea, but also the creation of a separate immigration border, making Northern Ireland an accessible haven for asylum seekers. He firmly urged the DUP to renounce their compromising document and advocate for the enhancement, not the reduction, of British sovereignty. – PA