Illegal Migrants, People Smugglers Face Tougher New Penalties in Britain

The British government will unveil Tuesday a new immigration bill making it a criminal offense for asylum-seekers to enter Britain without permission. Under the terms of the proposed legislation, anyone caught entering illegally for whatever reason could face a prison term of up to four years.

The move is designed to dissuade migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats and dinghies. People smugglers will also face much heavier jail terms with those found guilty facing life sentences, up from a current maximum of 14 years. The country’s interior minister, Priti Patel, said the legislation is intended to help fix what he described as Britain’s “broken asylum system.”   Migrants currently arriving from France in dinghies are picked up by border authorities and are then held in detention centers or hotels until their application for asylum is processed. “Our new plan for immigration is fair but firm. We will welcome people through safe and legal routes while preventing abuse of the system, cracking down on illegal entry and the criminality associated with it,” Patel said last week.