Under fire for its new immigration law, the United Kingdom has deported its first asylum seeker to Rwanda, as part of a voluntary program for migrants who have been refused asylum , British media reported on Tuesday April 30.
A week ago, the British parliament adopted a very controversial law allowing migrants who arrived in the United Kingdom illegally to be deported to Rwanda. Rishi Sunak’s conservative government plans to begin evictions within this framework by July.
But on Monday, a man left the UK, agreeing to be deported to Rwanda after his asylum application was rejected late last year. This man, who is believed to be from the African continent, traveled on a commercial flight, according to the Sun. He agreed to be deported to Rwanda and receive a payment of up to 3,000 pounds sterling (around 3,500 euros) in exchange, government sources said, according to the Times.
Contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the British Interior Ministry did not confirm this information. “We are now able to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as part of our partnership for migration and economic development”however, said a government spokesperson. “This agreement allows people without UK immigration status to be relocated to a safe third country where they will be helped to rebuild their lives”added this source.
The government hopes to deport 5,700 asylum seekers by the end of the year
The British government said on Tuesday it hoped to deport to Rwanda ” by the end of the year “ an already identified group of 5,700 asylum seekers, after the adoption of its controversial law intended to discourage illegal Channel crossings. They were selected from more than 57,000 people who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom via the Channel between the beginning of January 2022 and the end of June 2023, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
This plan to deport migrants to Rwanda was announced two years ago by Boris Johnson, then Prime Minister, but was blocked by the European Court of Human Rights, then legal appeals and a long battle. several months in Parliament. Backed by a new treaty between London and Kigali, the new law aims to expel migrants who arrived illegally, wherever they come from, to Rwanda, which will examine their asylum request. Whatever the outcome, they will not be able to return to the UK.
The text stipulates that Rwanda is a safe country and provides that the government will be able to override possible injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights aimed at preventing expulsions. From the UN to Christian churches, calls have multiplied to urge the United Kingdom to abandon its project. In recent days, Ireland has claimed to be facing an influx of migrants from the United Kingdom, blaming its neighbor’s migration policy.
Rishi Sunak’s conservative government has made the fight against illegal immigration a priority, hoping to regain points in the polls against Labor. The announcement of this first expulsion to Rwanda comes two days before local elections in England and Wales, in which the Conservatives risk suffering heavy losses.