MIGRANTS who attempt to enter Britain without permission could face up to four years in prison under legislation being considered by the Home Office.
Last year, at least 8,417 people made the journey across the English Channel in small boats, now the Home Office is cracking down.
The Independent reported that the move is part of the Nationality and Borders Bill, and is intended to fix the UK’s “broken asylum system” Patel said.
The proposed legislation will receive its first reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Those found guilty of smuggling people across the Channel will also face stricter punishment – life in prison – up from a maximum of 14 years.
Ms Patel said: “The Nationality and Borders Bill contains vital measures to fix the UK’s broken asylum system.
“Our new plan for immigration is fair but firm.
“We will welcome people through safe and legal routes whilst preventing abuse of the system, cracking down on illegal entry and the criminality associated with it.”
In announcing the bill, the Home Office said that it was “very likely that those travelling to the UK via small boat will have come from a safe European Union country in which they could have claimed asylum”.
“Where this is the case, they are not seeking refuge at the earliest opportunity or showing good reason for seeking to enter the UK illegally but are instead ‘asylum shopping’ by picking the UK as a preferred destination over others and using an illegal route to get here,” the department claimed.
Labour plans to oppose the bill, with shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds calling it “unconscionable”, despite huge public support.
The Home Office crackdown comes after Politicalite revealed the Government was accused of trying to ‘Cover-up’ the Migrant Crisis that has been engulfing the British town of Dover.
Citizen Journalist Steve Laws, 30 – who has covered the ongoing migrant crisis in Dover for well over a year, even being arrested for exposing the influx of migrants told Politicalite that the main port in which illegal migrants enter Britain has been blocked off with high fences.
“I first started covering the illegal immigration at Dover, well over a year ago.” said Steve.
“When I first started filming the whole operation was relatively small with only a few strange containers used as a ‘processing’ facility.”
“Fast forward to now and the whole site is blocked off with high fences.”
“The site itself has now has large scale tents for the processing of migrants with several porta-cabins to hold the illegal immigrants until collected by coaches.”
“It has grown in size by at least five times its original size.”
“Coaches used to wait in the car park next to the site but since the scale has grown the coaches now wait at the Eastern Docks and come down to the Western docks (illegal immigration centre) to collect the illegal immigrants when it’s time.”
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Parts of this article courtesy of PA Media