UK's 'broken' asylum system remains battleground

In his recent memoirs Tony Blair describes his realization on taking office in 1997 that Britain's asylum system was "broken, incapable, adrift in a sea of storms" and one that "required far tougher action."

The former UK prime minister says in "A Journey" that asylum claims soared from 30,000 in the mid-1990s to more than 100,000 by 2002, but officials could do little to stem the tide. The presumption "that someone who claimed asylum was persecuted and should be taken in ... was plainly false; most asylum claims were not genuine," he writes. "Disproving them, however, was almost impossible."
Amid outcry over the alleged abuse of the system by economic migrants seeking access to the UK labour market and welfare state, Blair's government responded with reforms intended to change the message that "if you get here and you claim asylum, then we'll support you," as then-Home Secretary David Blunkett told the BBC in 2002.
The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 amended support arrangements for asylum seekers and created provisions for their detention and removal. Most controversially the act also removed benefits from would-be refugees whose applications had been rejected.
Which countries are most 'welcoming' to asylum seekers?
But human rights campaigners say this policy (still in force today) of forcing failed asylum seekers into destitution breaches what they say is Britain's proud tradition of welcoming those fleeing persecution and violence.
The British Red Cross believes that due to a backlog, more than 200,000 people are now living in Britain whose claims -- and appeals -- have been rejected but cannot or will not go home. The charity says it provides assistance to 10,000 failed asylum seekers, but can only afford to give each person one £10 ($16) food voucher a week.
Failed asylum seekers tell their stories
In many cases this is all they have. "The level of support for an asylum seeker whose application has been turned down is nil: no benefits, no shelter, no basic healthcare," the charity's Chief Executive Nick Young told CNN.
Tell us about your migration. Send us your stories, images or video
Failed asylum seekers can only get benefits if they are taking immediate steps to leave the UK, but many do not claim this final level of support because they are frightened of the consequences of returning home, the charity says. Asylum seekers are also banned from working, although many do so in the black market, increasing the risk of exploitation, it adds.

Read More:http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/11/18/asylum.seekers/index.html?hpt=C2