London: Already embroiled in controversy over her reappointment as UK Home Secretary, Indian-origin Suella Braverman has sparked yet another outrage in the country by equating the migrant crisis with an “invasion”. Braverman, who was forced to resign from his post under former prime minister Liz Truss for breaching the ministerial code of conduct, said on Monday that migrants have launched an “invasion of our southern coast”. “Let’s stop pretending they are all refugees in distress,” he said in response to questions in the House of Commons amid concerns about the conditions at the Manston processing site in Kent. Manston, a former military base in Kent, was opened in February this year as a processing center for the growing number of migrants arriving in Britain in small boats.
Addressing lawmakers for the first time since his reappointment last week, the home secretary said that in 2022, some 40,000 people had arrived on the south coast, many of whom were members of criminal gangs.
The Daily Mirror quoted Labor MP Zara Sultana as saying: “Hearing Suella Braverman saying that there is an ‘invasion’ on our southern coast. This kind of language spreads hatred and spreads division.”
of Indian origin #Suella Bravermanis already facing criticism over his reappointment as #UK The Home Secretary has sparked yet another outrage in the country by comparing the migrant crisis to an “invasion”. pic.twitter.com/4lmReyQW5C
– IANS (@ians_india) 1 November 2022
To use language like ‘invasion’ for Suella Braverman to describe refugee. Those who are themselves escaping the struggle. They are aggressive. They know what it feels like to be attacked. We’re lucky that most of us don’t,” refugee Claire Moseley charity Care4Calais told The Evening Standard.
Braverman, who admitted to using his personal email six times for official documents, made the remarks days after Indian-origin Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “compassion” would be at the heart of his administration.
“Sage Sunak promised to bring integrity, professionalism and accountability as prime minister. Instead, he brought back Suella Braverman,” said Labor Party deputy leader Angela Rainer.
After questions about asylum centers being overcrowded, disease-ridden and dangerous, Braverman acknowledged that “the system is broken” and “illegal migration is out of control”.
He also denied stopping the use of hotels for asylum seekers, which put pressure on the Manston processing center designed for 1,600 people.
“In fact since I’ve taken over 12,000 people, 9,500 people have been transferred from Manston or Western Jet Foil, many of them transferred to hotels,” Braverman said.