Professor Sarah Singer gives evidence to Joint Committee on Human Rights

On 14 May 2025, the Joint Committee on Human Rights (a Select Committee of both UK Houses of Parliament) took evidence from Professor Sarah Singer on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, alongside Zoe Bantleman (ILPA), Alison Harvey (One Pump Court) and Dr Marija Jovanovic (University of Oxford).

The session included discussion of the new immigration crimes introduced in the bill, new and retained powers of immigration detention, and the impact of the bill’s provisions on asylum seekers, victims of trafficking and modern slavery, and others subject to immigration control. The Committee asked whether the bill struck the right balance between improving UK border security and protecting individual rights, and queried its compatibility with the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and the Refugee Convention.

Professor Singer stated:

The bill introduces a number of new criminal offences relating to facilitating irregular arrival to the UK, but as we all know these offences are not going to be targeted at the people who actually conduct people smuggling operations, most of whom will never set foot on UK soil. Rather, who is going to be targeted is again the very vulnerable people that are seeking asylum in this country and making these irregular journeys because they have no other option.

Equally, these new offences are highly unlikely to have any deterrent effect, we can see that through the lack of deterrent effect [on small boat arrivals] following the introduction of new immigration offences in the Nationality and Borders Act of 2022.

Commenting on further provisions of the bill, Professor Singer noted: “Very concerning from a human rights perspective is that the bill continues the expansion of the powers granted to the Home Secretary, including in areas such as detention, and there is a further shrinking of judicial oversight of government action.”

On the bill more broadly, Professor Singer commented: “The overall framing of the piece is very concerning, as the national security framing encourages asylum seekers and refugees to be seen as a threat … it’s particularly concerning that the Home Secretary has announced plans for further legislation on asylum building on this bill, to be announced later in the Summer, before this bill has even been brought into force.”

Watch the video of the Joint Committee meeting online here.

Professor Singer is a Professor of Refugee Law at the Refugee Law Initiative, School of Advanced Study, University of London. She is Programme Director of the University of London’s Master’s programme in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies, and Joint Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Refugee Law.