UK threatens to prevent entry of Europeans with registration from 2021

Registered European citizens will be prevented from entering the UK or deported from 2021, when the post-Brexit transition period that still maintains freedom of movement ends, British government.

The Interior Ministry said the legislation reflects a “firmer approach” in the area of ​​immigration, which now allows authorities to prohibit the entry of Europeans sentenced to more than a year in prison or considered repeat offenders, authors of serious offenses, such as sexual offenses, or whose presence in the UK is not in the public interest, even if they have not spent time in prison.

European citizens can still be prevented from entering the United Kingdom if they have a conviction of less than one year and of any kind in the register in the last 12 months and are trying to enter the country for the first time.

The British Government argues that currently EU rules require it to be demonstrated that European criminals are a real, current and sufficiently serious threat that their rights to free movement are restricted and that the decision cannot be based solely on conviction.

According to the Interior Ministry, instead of letting in and then detaining and deporting these people, the new rules will allow authorities to reject their entry into the territory before crossing the border.

“For too long, EU rules have forced us to allow dangerous foreign criminals, who take advantage of our values ​​and threaten our lifestyle, to enter our streets. The UK will be safer thanks to tighter border controls and fair, “said the minister, Priti Patel.

Patel claims that the legislation will align the rights of Europeans with those of other foreign citizens, who were already subject to these rules, and the Government says that Europeans who have acquired resident status under the process of leaving the Kingdom are exempt United Kingdom of the European Union (EU).

However, if a European resident commits crimes after 1 January 2021, in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, his status may be revoked if it results in a prison sentence of at least one year.

Human Rights Specialist Christopher Desira warned of the risk that European citizens without resident status face at the end of the transition period on December 31, within 70 days, although registration can be done until June 30, 2021.

According to Desira, in this case the Europeans “are not protected”, even if the crime or crime was committed before 1 January 2021, so the Ministry of the Interior can issue a deportation order alleging that the public interest is at stake.

“This goes against all political guarantees that have been made about how conduct will be assessed before and after the transition period. As it will affect citizens who are not protected by the Withdrawal Agreement, it will make it significantly more difficult to prepare a legal challenge against this approach. “, he stressed.

The British press reported that these new powers could be used to deport homeless Europeans who do not accept support or who reoccur in terms of antisocial behavior, although the Interior Ministry has promised that this option will be used “in moderation” and as a last resort.

According to The Guardian, 22% of homeless people in the UK are EU citizens, but that number rises to 42% in the capital, London.

“Deporting people for being homeless is immoral,” criticized Labor Party MP Nick Thomas Symonds, while the nonprofit organization Shelter fears that “fewer people ask for help” due to the risk of being deported.

This policy may, however, be called into question by the lack of a post-Brexit agreement between the UK and the EU in the area of ​​security, as the British police will lose access to databases such as the Passenger Name Record (PNR) or the Schengen Information System (SIS) after the transition period.

“We are working closely with our European partners” on this issue, Secretary of State for Public Security Kit Malthouse told the Sky News television station on Thursday, emphasizing that the United Kingdom remains a member of Interpol.