Members of the House of Lords in the U.K. have voted to accept 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees from Europe.
Christian Today reports that the House of Lords voted 306 to 204 in
favor of an amendment to the Immigration Bill which would require the
government to welcome the additional children refugees from Europe into
Britain.
The government had already agreed to accept refugees that they deemed
most vulnerable, from camps in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries,
but they will now be accepting child refugees from Europe.
Those in favor of welcoming the refugees argued that doing so would
protect them from exploitation, human trafficking, and other kinds of
abuse.
The Labour Party’s Lord Dubs came over to Britain as a child refugee
during the Nazi takeover of Germany. He related to the plight of the
child refugees:
"I would like other children who are in a desperate situation to be
offered safety in this country and be given the same opportunities that I
had," he said.
Others, including religious leaders, praised the House of Lords’ decision.
Stephen Cottrell, the Bishop of Chelmsford, who also serves in the
House of Lords, called the amendment welcoming the children a “small but
beautiful thing we can do.”
Tim Farron, a Christian who is leader of the Liberal Democrats, also expressed support for the amendment.
"The Government must stop ignoring the British people and the thousands
of orphaned children languishing across Europe," he said.
Some, however, say that welcoming more refugees will encourage more to
make dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean which could imperil
their lives.
“I question whether it [the amendment] identifies, or provides help,
for the right people. We believe we should not be doing anything that
encourages one child to make that perilous journey,” stated government
home office minister Lord Bates.
The Immigration Bill with its amendment will now go to the House of Commons for approval.
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