Australia's blocking of migrant boats at sea sets a dangerous international precedent, the UN refugee agency said Friday, reacting to new legislation that makes it harder for asylum seekers to reach Australian shores, dpa reported.
'This may have serious consequences for the international system of protection that relies on the sharing - not shifting - of responsibilities,' said William Spindler, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva.
The Australian government reached a deal with Labor and independent senators early Friday to release 100 children being held in an island detention centre for asylum seekers.
But the deal pushed by Immigration Minister Scott Morrison also reintroduced temporary protection visas for asylum seekers, which bar them from permanent settlement in Australia and return them to their own countries when it is deemed safe to do so.