Priti Patel has been criticised judjung refugee claims by the type of journey they make into the UK in a "two tiered" approach.
The Home Secretary rubbished the experiences of migrants in the Commons as she claimed “genuine people are being elbowed aside” by those paying traffickers to come to the UK.
Ms Patel said the principle of seeking refuge had been “undermined” by people who come to the UK by choice, not because it's the safest country closest to them.
Her comments suggest migrants are playing the system, leaving refugee campaigners fearful for refugees "putting their lives at risk in order to reach safety".
Ms Patel told MPs during the Commons second reading of the Nationality and Borders Bill: "Many of those are economic migrants and not just those fleeing persecution.
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“People should be claiming asylum in the first safe country that they reach and not using the UK as a destination of choice.
"That is why our intention is to address this wider system to fix this problem so that we can help those who are in genuine need to resettle here."
Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds also said the Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill would not address the issue of people “risking their lives” in the English Channel.
He told MPs: “It is a bill that is wrong, and it will make the dangerous situation we are seeing in the English Channel worse. We on these benches to do not want to see people risking their lives making a sea crossing in some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, often in boats that are unfit for purpose.
“The measures proposed will not address this. By judging claims on the type of journey people make, ministers will create a discriminatory two-tiered approach to asylum. Not my words – but the words of the United Nations Refugee Agency."
Today the Home Secretary announced refugees arriving through legal routes will be given indefinite leave to remain from October.
If the bill is passed, asylum seekers could face up to four years behind bars if they are intercepted in the Channel without authorisation to enter the UK.
Labour accused the Government of trying to create a “two-tiered” approach to asylum claims.
Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds also said the Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill would not address the issue of people “risking their lives” in the English Channel.
Enver Solomon, CEO of The Refugee Council said: "To treat vulnerable men, women and children who have put their lives at risk to reach safety in the UK as criminals is not only a huge waste of taxpayers’ money but also a brutal, cruel and cold-hearted response by this government.
"The majority of the public clearly believe that the UK must continue to protect our fellow human beings no matter how they arrived on our shores."
Ms Patel's comments come after the organisation published research which found penalising asylum seekers with this system could cost taxpayers up to £412 million.
Today the Home Secretary told MPs that 8,500 people arrived in the UK by “small boat” in 2020, adding: “Eighty-seven per cent of them were men and 74% of them were aged 18 to 39, so those who claim it is heartless to stop these illegal crossings have it all the wrong way round."
The study by the Refugee Council estimated most of the migrants could be imprisoned at a cost of £412 million each year or £1.65 billion for four years in custody.
The charity has found that the cost of imprisoning people seeking asylum is five times more than housing them in the asylum support system.
Currently, refugees resettled under the scheme can stay for five years, after which they can apply for indefinite leave to remain.
