LONDON

Amnesty International UK has criticized a deal between the UK and France on returning migrants as the agreement came into force on Tuesday, accusing the British government of being "unprincipled" on asylum policies.

In a statement, the rights group said the deal, which became effective as of Tuesday, is "another cruel, costly failure, dressed up as policy."

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said that the deal will forcibly return even those with close family or connections in Britain.

He suggested that this only cements the role of smugglers in how people fleeing war and persecution must seek asylum in the UK.

"When it comes to asylum policy, this Government is proving to be just as unprincipled and impractical as its predecessor," said Valdez-Symonds, referring to the previous Conservative Party government, under then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who made tackling illegal migration one of the top priorities.

“Once again, refugees are treated like parcels, not people, while the public is left to pay the price for, yet another cruel, costly failure dressed up as policy," he noted.

Valdez-Symonds went on to say that the UK shares the same duty as other countries to provide asylum, however, he added that instead of facing that responsibility, this government "continues to swap one unworkable gimmick for another – aligning itself with the smugglers and the chaos they exploit."

"If the aim is to truly reduce dangerous journeys and the profits of organized criminal gangs, the answer is clear: we need safe, accessible routes between countries, not miserable deals that trade in human lives," he said.