UK Parliament Passes Illegal Migration Bill

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Illegal migration bill sailed through the UK Parliament after the House of Commons rejected the amendments proposed by the House of Lords, the UK Parliament said on Tuesday.

"The Illegal Migration Bill completes passage through Parliament as both Houses agree on the text of the bill," the statement read.

The bill awaits the final step of Royal Assent when it will become a law, according to the statement.

The bill seeks to deport migrants to a third country like Rwanda who enter the UK illegally by boats across the English Channel. On June 29, the UK Court of Appeal ruled that the government's plan to relocate illegal immigrants to Rwanda to deter irregular arrivals by boat was illegal, paving the way for the matter to be considered by the Supreme Court.

Illegal migration has been a pressing issue for the UK for years and only intensified after the country left the European Union in 2020. In April 2022, the UK and Rwanda signed a migration agreement, stipulating that people recognized by the UK government as illegal migrants or asylum seekers will be deported to Rwanda for the processing of their documents, obtaining asylum and relocation.

In August 2022, over 13,500 people crossed the English Channel to enter the UK illegally, an all-time monthly high since the beginning of the migration crisis in 2019. The total number of migrants who entered the UK in 2022 was over 44,000. British media reported that the country was spending about 7 million pounds ($8.7 million) per day to house migrants in hotels.