UK home secretary Suella Braverman in Rwanda to reinforce migrant deportation plan
- Ahead of her visit, Suella Braverman said the migration policy ‘will act as a powerful deterrent against dangerous and illegal journeys’
- Under the plan, some migrants who arrive in the UK in small boats would be flown to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be processed.
Britain’s interior minister arrived in Rwanda on Saturday for a visit aimed at reinforcing the UK government’s commitment to a controversial plan to deport some asylum seekers to the African country.
Ahead of her visit, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the migration policy “will act as a powerful deterrent against dangerous and illegal journeys.”
But the £140 million (US$170 million) plan has been mired in legal challenges, and no one has yet been sent to Rwanda. The UK was forced to cancel the first deportation flight at the last minute in June after the European Court of Human Rights ruled the plan carried “a real risk of irreversible harm.”
Human rights groups cite Rwanda’s poor human rights record, and argue it is inhumane to send people more than 4,000 miles (6,400km) to a country they do not want to live in.
Court rules UK’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is legal
Defending the plan, Braverman said it will “support people to rebuild their lives in a new country” as well as boost Rwanda’s economy through investments in jobs and skills.
She is expected to meet President Paul Kagame and her counterpart, Vincent Biruta, to discuss details of the deportation agreement.
Sonya Sceats, chief executive at the non-profit Freedom from Torture, described the policy as a “cash-for-humans” plan.
“Rather than pushing through this inhumane and unworkable policy, ministers should focus on establishing safe routes to the UK and tackling the unacceptable backlog of asylum claims, so people fleeing war and persecution can rebuild their lives with dignity,” she said.