Britain Plans to Deport Approximately 5,700 Asylum Seekers to Rwanda by Year’s End

The British government plans to expedite the deportation of illegal migrants to Rwanda by initially detaining more than 2,000 asylum seekers, including Afghans, and relocating them to detention centers in that country. According to documents from the British Home Office, London and Kigali have agreed to deport approximately 6,000 asylum seekers to Rwanda by the end of 2024.

According to The Guardian, the first operation to detain asylum seekers for deportation to Rwanda was scheduled to begin on Monday, April 29.

The newspaper reports that authorities plan to detain this group of asylum seekers at immigration offices or during administrative meetings.

Reuters reported that, according to a document released by the British Home Office, the Rwandan government has agreed to accept 5,700 asylum seekers in the first phase of implementing the ‘Rwanda Law.’ British officials had previously informed these individuals that their asylum requests were denied and they would be deported to Rwanda. Officials now say that ‘2,143 individuals are interacting with the Home Office and can be tracked and then detained.’

On this matter, Victoria Atkins, the British Minister of Public Health and government spokesperson, told Sky News on Tuesday, ‘We want our message to be absolutely clear: these people will be tracked and deported.’

According to British officials, the first flights to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda will take place within the next 10 to 12 weeks.

English Channel: From the beginning of 2022 to the end of June 2023, more than 50,000 migrants entered Britain.

According to the Rwanda Law, all migrants who entered Britain illegally since January 1, 2022, will be deported to Rwanda. Agence France-Presse statistics indicate that from this date to the end of June 2023, approximately 57,000 migrants have entered Britain by boat through the English Channel.

The British government has stated that to accelerate the deportation process, the capacity of detention centers has been increased to 2,200 people, and 200 trained social workers are ready to review cases. Authorities have also prepared 150 judges and 25 courtrooms to handle the legal cases of deportations.
Immigrant rights advocacy organizations have expressed concern that the actions of British authorities may cause fear and panic among asylum seekers. Sonia Skitts, the director of Freedom from Torture, told The Guardian that these actions ‘will disrupt the mental health of a large number of people under treatment.’

Despite the British government’s efforts to prevent illegal immigration, on April 27, 350 migrants arrived on the shores of Britain via the English Channel.