Refugee Council: Cost of detaining people under illegal immigration bill could be more than $11bn in 3 years

The Refugee Council has said that the cost of detaining and accommodating people under the government’s illegal immigration bill could be more than £9 billion ($10.6 billion) in the first three years.

The charity said that the figure is part of an impact assessment of the bill based on the Home Office being able to remove 30,000 people and send them to Rwanda, detaining people for 28 days and accommodating others.

More than 190,000 people could be locked up or forced into destitution under the new crackdown, said the Refugee Council.

Ministers face a £9 billion bill to pay for accommodation over the next three years for up to 193,000 migrants whose asylum claims will be deemed inadmissible but cannot be removed from the UK. @refugeecouncil @EnverSol https://t.co/oXjNlw8fG0 pic.twitter.com/7x64JMeZOr

— Charles Hymas (@charleshymas) March 22, 2023

It's outrageous that the Govt hasn't published a forecast of what its new asylum legislation will cost to implement.

The @RefugeeCouncil predicts a truly eye-watering £3bn per year.

Home Office MUST now provide a full impact assessment, before Committee Stage starts on Monday. https://t.co/muJtf83hsZ

— Stephen Kinnock (@SKinnock) March 22, 2023

The government’s Illegal Migration Bill includes plans to detain most people arriving on boats across the Channel for 28 days without bail or judicial review.

The new bill, if passed by parliament, will stop asylum seekers making claims against deportation until after they have been removed.

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said: “We must stop the boats and that’s what our bill will do. No more sticking plasters or shying away from the difficult decisions.”

Last week, hundreds of people gathered outside parliament in London to protest the new bill and show solidarity with people seeking refuge in the country.

The UNHCR has said that the legislation would be an “asylum ban” and that it was “profoundly concerned” by the legislation.

Most of the people who will be detained under the new legislation are from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria and Iran, according to the charity.

READ: ‘We must stop the boats,’ UK Home Secretary says ahead of statement on new Bill