British authorities have started to detain migrants in preparation for them to be sent to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks, the government said on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's flagship immigration policy.
A law to pave the way for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda if they arrived in Britain without permission was approved by parliament in April, and Sunak wants the first flights to take off in July.
More than 7,500 migrants have arrived in England on small boats from France so far this year, and the government says the policy will deter people from making dangerous journey across the Channel. Five people died trying to make the crossing last week.
Human rights charities and unions opposed to the policy are expected to launch fresh legal challenges to stop the flights from taking off after the UK Supreme Court declared the policy unlawful last year.
Nigel Farage, the honorary president of Reform UK, tweeted: “Don’t be conned by this new government spin on the Rwanda deal.
“This African man, who did not even cross the Channel, was refused asylum and has voluntarily accepted £3,000 + free board. It won’t stop the boats.”
However, Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, said the removal should be “trumpeted” as it showed that the east African country was safe.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
How would you feel if your family had to be sent to another country without your consent because of where you were born?
@9M2373W2wks2W
I would be outraged, US and European immigration laws are much too strong, America is known for being the mixing pot of ethnicities, but they take YEARS to let them become citizens.
@9M22YB72wks2W
It depends. I may feel strongly about it if my family had done nothing wrong and was contributing to that country's society.
@9M22W2GRepublican2wks2W
I ain't leaving the U.S. and all of these people coming in illegally should be sent back to there homes they don't deserve to be here and using our tax money to live a care free life
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
How would your perspective change if you or someone close to you were facing deportation under similar circumstances?
So not really a deterrent then. If you don't get to stay in England don't worry because you still get £3k and a five year package to live elsewhere. Sounds more like a migrant magnet.
@LeftLeaningMiaDemocrat2wks2W
If this does work then Nigel needs to admit this. But come on surely you can't be happy with them being paid plus 5 years of assistants. I feel that we are going to be the lossers in one way or another.
@CheetahSummerPatriot2wks2W
"The man received £3,000 and the UK will also subsidise up to five years of housing and employment support." Africans will still come illegally to this country and be queueing up for this deal. Our useless government just loves throwing away British taxpayers' money to Third World dross.
@SoreBicameralVeteran2wks2W
Richard Tice was on BBC2's Politics Live lunchtime Monday. He claimed we'd be able to return those arriving by boat to France because he claimed they were in breach of international law(s). Programme host pointed out, i) majority of legal opinion doesn't support Tice's view, ii) the accepted route is to take France to the appropriate international court of arbitration to argue his point.
Despite what Reform/Tice say, France won't accept us sending them back.
@9M2FRDH2wks2W
I don't care what Europe is doing I don't want illegal immigrant in my country if they go through the process of immigration then they're welcome but not illegals
One must deter the boats comming from a safe European country (France) in the first instance, not allow the Locus to land, because once landed the removal is far more burdensome for the Govenment and costly for all of us. it's very clear that these incompatible persons with mobile phones (who paid people traffickers huge sums) are not refugees but economical migrants attracted by our generous benifit system.
Deal with our own indignous homeless who have never been offered hotel accomodation with free meals etc and a Doctor on call.
Charity starts at home....
£3k , 5 years housing and employment support.
People will be queing up to enter the UK illegally from around the world, just to be sent back home.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
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