Priti Patel Is Going to Make Europe’s Migrant Crisis Worse
Boris Johnson’s Home Secretary is sponsoring a bill that would criminalize many people seeking asylum.
What crisis?
Photographer: Victoria Jones/AFP via Getty Images
Dangerous migrant crossings from France to Britain have reached record levels this year. U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel promised repeatedly to solve the problem, but her plan to use U.K. border forces to push back small boats trying to cross the Channel has not worked and faces several legal challenges.
Now, with the tragic drownings of at least 27 young migrants, after calls for rescue were apparently ignored by both French and British coast guards, the public has noticed. A recent opinion poll by YouGov showed that four in five Brits rate the government’s handling of the crisis poorly; even three-quarters of Conservatives are unimpressed.