The UK’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda | Globalism

The controversial program is part of a suite of tougher government measures to reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving in the country in small boats across the English Channel.

Home Secretary Priti Patel is in the African country to sign a $150 million deal that involves testing the scheme with single men who come to the country. United kingdom.

In a speech on Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the programme, saying it was necessary to “save countless lives” and prevent “human traffickers” from turning the ocean into a “water graveyard”.

He said that under the new scheme, anyone who reaches United kingdom Illegally can “transfer” to Rwanda.

“This policy has no limits,” Johnson said. . added Rwanda Its capacity to receive immigrants has increased in recent years by “tens of thousands of people”.

“We cannot maintain an illegal parallel system,” Johnson said. “Our mercy may be infinite, but the ability to help people is not.”

Official statistics show that last year, 28,526 people crossed the English Channel in small boats, compared to 8,404 people in 2020.

Last Wednesday (13/4), about 600 asylum seekers crossed the canal, and according to Johnson, the number could reach 1,000 per day in the coming weeks.

The housing in which these individuals will be housed, has been seen by the BBC, which are believed to hold about 100 people at a time and receive up to 500 migrants a year.

‘Impractical and immoral’

The new program was widely criticized by humanitarian organizations, who described the plans as harsh, and by opposition parties, who said it would be “impractical, immoral, wasteful and ineffective”.

Opposition parties are also aware that the annual cost of the entire plan will be significantly higher than the initial payment of $150 million, and have raised concerns about the human rights record in the Rwanda.

Direct from RwandaThe BBC’s national affairs editor, Mark Easton, explained that the government faces significant legal hurdles and costs in launching the scheme.

The exact details of the project have not yet been confirmed, but there is information that the testing program will be limited primarily to single men.

by suggestion, Rwanda He will take responsibility for people who make the journey more than 6,500 km, put them through the asylum process, and eventually, if they are successful, these individuals will get long-term residence in the country.

The Rwandan government has indicated that migrants will “entitle to full protection under Rwandan law, equal access to work and access to health and social services.”

Ministry of Interior Affairs United kingdom It is believed that the current asylum law will be sufficient to implement the scheme, but doubts remain about the legality of the decision.

Questions have also been raised about the human rights record of the Rwandan government and its president, Paul Kagame.

Many of her critics died or were subjected to assassination attempts, but Rwanda They always rejected insinuations that the government was involved in these events.

There are also concerns about the terrorism conviction of Paul Rossabgina, who was portrayed in the movie Hotel Hotel Rwanda For his role in saving more than a thousand people during the 1994 genocide in that country.

Last year, the government United kingdom He expressed concern at the United Nations about the “persistent restrictions on civil and political rights and freedom of the press” in RwandaHe called for independent investigations to be carried out into “allegations of extrajudicial executions, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture”.

Very controversial plan

Analysis by Mark Easton, BBC national affairs editor

Partnership with Rwanda It is the cornerstone of a broader political campaign to address what has been a humiliation of ministers who promised that Brexit would mean control of US borders. United kingdom.

Instead, a record number of asylum seekers showed up on boats on the white cliffs of Dover, off the coast of the country.

This year there were 4,578 arrivals and everything indicates that this will be a new record.

However, sending asylum seekers to Rwanda It will most likely be highly controversial and legally challenging.

Critics point to .’s poor human rights record Rwanda. last year , United kingdom He demanded that the United Nations investigate the alleged murders, disappearances and torture.

Ministers will have to explain why Rwanda It is the place to mandate the protection of human rights for vulnerable asylum seekers who have hoped to be United kingdom protect them

Activists highlight the negative impact on the human rights of refugees, the cost of the program and question whether the plan will be able to achieve the proposed goals.

Enver Solomon, executive director of the Refugee Council, said the proposal does not address the reasons for desperate people to travel to United kingdom.

AI United kingdom The plan was described as a “surprisingly ill-conceived idea” that would waste public money.

Lucy Powell, the culture secretary for the opposition Labor Party, said her party had called for “disturbing measures” such as curbs on people smugglers who promote businesses online.

The Liberal Democrats announced that the government was “close the door” to refugees, while Ian Blackford of the Scottish National Party called the plan “absolutely horrific”.

The British government wants to introduce new laws in order to make it easier for people United kingdom Sending refugees to another country so that the asylum application can be processed elsewhere.

The country is also a signatory to two important international treaties that guarantee the rights of refugees and asylum seekers:

Therefore, if there is a risk that the person will be abused Rwandacan not be sent there.