SUELLA Braverman today declared that no one who arrives in Britain by small boat is "fleeing imminent peril" and none have a "good cause" for being let in.
In a major speech in Washington DC, the Home Secretary called on world leaders to rip up the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
She said global asylum rules are out of date and have expanded over time to facilitate illegal migrants "shopping around" for their country of choice.
Ms Braverman praised the UN Refugee Convention as an "incredible achievement of its age".
But she caveated that "we now live in a completely different time".
She said: "It is incumbent upon politicians and thought leaders to ask whether the Refugee Convention, and the way it has come to be interpreted through our courts, is fit for our modern age or in need of reform.
"The status quo, where people are able to travel through multiple safe countries, and even reside in safe countries for years, while they pick their preferred destination to claim asylum, is absurd and unsustainable."
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Ms Braverman insisted that “seeking asylum and seeking better economic prospects are not the same thing".
And she argued it is unsustainable to keep a system where simply being gay or a woman qualifies for protection.
The Home Secretary lashed out at critics who call politicians arguing for migration reforms "racist".
She said: "I reject that notion that a country cannot be expected to respect human rights if it is not signed up to an international human rights organisation."
Hitting out at advocates of open borders, the Home Secretary insisted it's imperative states are able to control who is let in.
If not, "their borders will not long survive" and the public could even start an uprising.
Ms Braverman argued uncontrolled migration will fuel multiculturalism, a social system she believes has failed in Britain.
"Multiculturalism makes no demands of the incomer to integrate," she said.
"It has failed because it allowed people to come to our society and live parallel lives in it.
"They could be in the society but not of the society."
The Home Secretary also revealed she's been told by UK police chiefs that the recent influx of small boats in Britain has led to heightened levels of criminality, including in relation to drug crime, exploitation, and prostitution.
"People who choose to come across the Channel illegally from another safe country have already showed contempt for our laws," Ms Braverman said.
Responding to the speech, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Suella Braverman has so lost grip of Tory asylum chaos, she is targeting and scapegoating LGBT people.
"Deeply divisive, damaging political game playing – unworthy of her office.
"Instead of blaming people persecuted in places like Uganda for who they love, she should sort chaos at home."
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Former Tory Cabinet Minister David Davis said: "It is perfectly reasonable to ask why there are so many migrants.
"However, we need to see the analysis.
"A lot of these migrants will have been displaced from countries that have faced wars initiated or contributed to by Western nations."
Refugee charities slammed Ms Braverman's speech as an affront to genuine human rights.
Halima Begum, CEO of ActionAid UK, said: "We know from our work across the world that for many women and girls, seeking asylum is the only lifeline left when fleeing persecution.
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"Denying this fundamental right is not just a policy choice; it's a direct affront to gender equality and human rights.
"Upholding the humanitarian duty to provide refuge and safety to women in need is not just an option; it's an imperative."
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