The UK government has started implementing its controversial Rwanda deportation policy, detaining an unspecified number of migrants in recent days who are set to be sent to the East African country in July.
Following months of political wrangling, lawmakers passed a controversial law last week, paving the way for the UK to declare Rwanda a safe third country and clear the path for asylum seeker deportations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to take swift action against migrants arriving on small boats from mainland Europe, vowing to detain individuals promptly and start deportation flights within 10-12 weeks, marking a significant escalation in the government’s migration policy.
This week, reports emerged of immigration officials detaining people earmarked for deportation flights, and on Wednesday, the interior ministry confirmed a coordinated series of operations across the country, signaling a robust response to immigration issues.
“The first illegal migrants set to be removed to Rwanda have now been detained,” it added.
Calling it “another major milestone” in the Rwanda plan, the ministry released photographs and a video of immigration enforcement officers detaining several migrants at different residences.
They were seen being led away in handcuffs and put into secure vehicles.
Interior minister James Cleverly said they were “working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground”.
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A senior minister revealed Tuesday the government expects to deport 5,700 migrants to Rwanda this year, after the interior ministry confirmed that Kigali had “in principle” agreed to accept that number.
Of those, 2,143 “can be located for detention” before being flown there, the ministry said, leaving more than 3,500 currently accounted for.
Ministers have insisted the enforcement teams will find them.
The government has increased detention capacity to more than 2,200 spaces ahead of the first Rwanda flights, it said Wednesday.
Commercial charter planes have also been booked and an airport has been put on standby, it added.
In a significant development, the UK government confirmed on Tuesday that the first failed asylum seeker has voluntarily traveled to Rwanda under a pilot scheme, paving the way for the controversial deportation policy.
With a population of 13 million, Rwanda stands out as a shining example of stability in Africa’s Great Lakes region, boasting modern infrastructure and earning international acclaim for its progress.
President Paul Kagame, a veteran leader, has been accused by rights groups of presiding over a regime of fear, where dissent is stifled and free speech is muzzled, casting a dark shadow over Rwanda’s progress.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government argues that the prospect of deportation to Rwanda will serve as a powerful deterrent to tens of thousands of migrants attempting to cross the Channel annually, and claims the policy is already yielding results.
The latest statistics reveal a 25% rise in migrant arrivals in the first quarter of 2024, with over 6,000 individuals arriving via the Channel.