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Sanjay Suri in London
Britain and Europe have announced stricter immigration controls to keep asylum seekers away.
The new steps are being taken primarily with Afghan refugees in mind.
Britain is the most favoured destination of thousands of Afghans fleeing the Taleban.
Britain announced stricter controls after negotiations in the European Union on Thursday to put up a common barrier against bogus asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.
Home Secretary David Blunkett said at a meeting at the British port town of Dover: "There is already a major problem on the Afghan border. The main aim is to stop people coming from that region and spreading across the world. That is also necessary for reasons of terrorism."
The move has led immigration groups to fear that Afghan refugees may be left with nowhere to go to, with all hopes of returning to war-ravaged Afghanistan near impossible in the wake of fears of US-led retaliatory strikes there.
Thousands of asylum seekers in France wishing to enter Britain illegally include a large number of Afghans.
Britain fears any Afghan seeking refuge might be a bin Laden supporter trying to gain a foothold in Europe.
The new resistance to Afghan refugees would also affect thousands of people in Britain, whose asylum applications are pending.
A total of 43,000 asylum applications await decision. Last year, an estimated 4,000 Afghans were granted political refuge in Britain.
"You are seeing the situation of the refugees stranded on Nauru getting multiplied hundredfold here," a spokesman for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said.
"These people have fled a very difficult situation and now they are all being seen as potential terrorists. The trouble here is that most genuine political refugees are illegal immigrants at some stage," the spokesman added.
The Home Office has introduced new military-level surveillance at ports to keep illegal immigrants away.
Measures had been announced in recent weeks to keep away bogus asylum seekers, but following the attacks in the US the steps are being tightened.
These include the creation of a new detention centre, where asylum-seekers would be kept while their applications are swiftly dealt with.
Indo-Asian News Service
The Attack on America: The Complete Coverage
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