Asylum seeker barge docks in Britain as migration bill becomes law

July 18 (UPI) -- A former gas-field accommodation barge converted to house 500 asylum seekers docked on Britain's south coast Tuesday as the government's controversial drive to "stop the boats" shifted into high gear.

The 10,000-ton Bibby Stockholm cruised into Portland Harbor in Dorset behind a tugboat fresh from a re-fit in Falmouth, Cornwall, just days before the first residents were due to board and hours after the highly contentious Illegal Migration Bill finally cleared the House of Lords.

The barge is one of three the government plans to use to alleviate "unsustainable pressure on the U.K.'s asylum system" and reduce the millions of dollars currently being spent on accommodating asylum seekers in hotels.

The move comes despite opposition from local people who fear the impact of the arrival of 500 mostly single men on a town with a population of just 13,000. Last month, thousands demonstrated, angry that they had not been consulted.

"I think it's right for the public as a whole that we move away from a situation where $7.9 million a day of taxpayers' money is going towards housing these individuals in hotels," said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesperson.

The spokesperson said the government believes it was better to "open specific sites designed to house immigrants that come in, done in a more planned way."

"That's what we are seeking to do with the Bibby Stockholm and that's what we're seeking to do in other parts of the country -- opening up sites to take the pressure off local areas and to reduce the cost," the spokesperson said.

In addition to offering taxpayers "better value" the Home Office said the barge would be "more manageable for communities than costly hotels."

"We continue to work extremely closely with local councils and key partners to prepare for arrival of asylum seekers later this month and minimize disruption for local residents including through substantial financial support," they added.

Charities and campaign groups called the passage late Monday of the migration bill -- which makes arriving in Britain via irregular channels such as small boats illegal -- through the upper house of the legislature "a dark day."

Following an extended battle between the government and Lords, many of whom had fought to amend or block the bill, the government now has the power to detain all asylum seekers on arrival, deport them to their country -- or a safe third country -- and ban them from ever returning or applying for British citizenship.

The government hopes the law will act as a deterrent, drastically reducing numbers from the 45,722 who crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2022. However, the plan hinges on removing people for asylum claims processing to Rwanda, a country the courts have ruled is not safe.

Opposition parties and religious leaders said the law hurt Britain's international image and would not achieve its goals.

Green Party peer Jenny Jones called the law "unworkable, shameful and embarrassing for Britain."

Labor MP Stella Creasy said: "It won't stop the boats. It will damage children's lives. Cruelty might make good telly, but makes terrible legislation."

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he "failed to see" how the bill would stop the boats but had given way due to the precedent that the House of Commons was supreme to the Lords.

"This cruel bill will now give the government the green light to flout international law and mistreat refugees to distract from their own failure to fix the problems they created when ministers closed safe routes to asylum," said Best of Britain CEO Naomi Smith.