The UK government has conducted its initial deportation of an asylum seeker to Rwanda as part of a voluntary relocation program for unsuccessful asylum applicants, aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of its forced removal efforts.
This initiative, launched earlier this year, offers £3,000 to failed asylum seekers who are unable to return to their home country to voluntarily relocate to Rwanda instead of staying in the UK.
Sources familiar with the matter reported that the first flight under this program departed on Monday.
Despite the UK government rejecting tens of thousands of asylum claims annually, international human rights law prohibits sending individuals back to countries experiencing conflict or under authoritarian rule.
This voluntary relocation program differs from a treaty signed last year between London and Kigali, which seeks to forcibly remove asylum seekers arriving irregularly in the UK to Rwanda.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has indicated plans to begin flights transporting asylum seekers to Rwanda under this new scheme by July, asserting that it will discourage migrants from undertaking dangerous journeys to the UK in small boats to seek refuge.
With local and mayoral elections approaching, Sunak is emphasizing a firm stance on migration to appeal to disenchanted voters.
Labour’s shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has criticized the government’s actions, characterizing them as a costly pre-election gesture lacking substance and funded by taxpayers.
In response, a government spokesperson defended the initiative, emphasizing its goal of relocating asylum seekers to a secure third country where they can rebuild their lives.
The deportation plan to Rwanda has faced challenges over the past two years, including a Supreme Court ruling deeming the scheme unlawful due to concerns about Rwanda’s safety.
In response, the government recently passed legislation designating Rwanda as a safe country and amending British human rights law to address legal objections to the program.
Critics, including opposition parties and migrant rights groups, have expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the scheme, arguing that it may not achieve the deterrent effect claimed by the Conservative Party.
