Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Occupied Palestine: Israeli occupation forces demolishe residential homes east of Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip
Al Mayadeen correspondent: An Israeli drone attacked the main road in the town of Harouf, South Lebanon.
Lebanese President: Israeli aggression on Blida took place in aftermath of meeting of ceasefire monitoring committee.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asks Commander of Lebanese Army to confront any Israeli incursion into liberated Lebanese territory in the South.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli aircraft launch series of strikes on area of Jarmaq, South Lebanon.
Reuters: Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to restart peace talks in Istanbul.
Al-Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Blida municipality building two hours after occupying it, and the Lebanese army enters
Pakistani army: 6 soldiers and 7 militants killed in clash near the Afghan border
Israeli media: Sirens sound in the settlement of Kerem Shalom in the Gaza envelope area
Afghan source to Al Mayadeen: We still believe in dialogue and prioritize diplomatic solutions with Pakistan; though we are ready for all possibilities.

Johnson: Ukrainians who come to UK illegally could be sent to Rwanda

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 24 Jun 2022 11:27
4 Min Read

UK PM Boris Johnson says Ukrainian refugees traveling to the UK without authorization may be sent to Rwanda.

  • x
  • Boris Johnson visited the GS Kacyiru II school on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda (Getty)
    Boris Johnson visited the GS Kacyiru II school on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda (Getty)

In an escalation of his government's plans to deport those crossing into the UK to seek sanctuary, PM Boris Johnson has said that Ukrainian refugees entering the UK without authorization may be deported to Rwanda.

Johnson defended, on Thursday, his contentious deal to deport migrants  to Rwanda, urging critics to "keep an open mind."

It is worth noting that the London-Kigali scheme, which involves Britain deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda thousands of miles away, has sparked outrage.

The migrant arrangement has been strongly condemned by rights groups, church leaders, and the United Nations, not to mention that it threatens to overshadow this week's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

One of the most outspoken opponents is the British heir to the throne, Prince Charles, who has been quoted in the British media as calling it "appalling".

Johnson had previously said the prospect of Ukrainian refugees being sent to Rwanda was "simply not going to happen."

However, when asked ahead of the CHOGM meeting on whether Ukrainians arriving to the UK by boat may be deported to East Africa, he said:  “The only circumstances in which people will be sent to Rwanda would be if they come to the UK illegally," adding moments later "if you come here illegally, you’re undermining all those who come here legally. And it’s crazy. So I’m afraid the answer is I suppose, yes, in theory that could happen. But I think it’s very unlikely.”

Related News

Starmer moves to strip refugees of settlement and family rights

Rukban Syrian displacement camp near Jordan border shut down

UK and Ukrainian refugees

Critics of the UK government's response to the war have said that the UK in fact takes in fewer Ukrainians per capita than most of Europe.

“In stark contrast to the British public who have opened their doors to welcome Ukrainians in desperate search of safety, our prime minister has confirmed that the government is intent on treating them as human cargo to be transported from the UK to Rwanda," Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council said regarding Johnson's statements.

The first flight carrying migrants was scheduled for June 14, following the rejection of a lawsuit filed by human rights activists seeking to halt the government's decision to send illegal migrants to Rwanda. According to the court's statement, the flight was canceled after the ECHR ruled that an Iraqi migrant involved might face "a real risk of irreversible harm."

Rwanda's government announced that it has already begun spending the 120 million pound downpayment given by the UK on the asylum scheme, as the government's spokesperson said that part of it was spent to prepare accommodations to receive the first batch of migrants that was supposed to arrive on the 14th.

Meanwhile, to counter the EHCR's decision, Britain began legislating for a new bill of rights on Wednesday, which would state unequivocally that Britain's Supreme Court, which approved the Rwanda flights, had legal supremacy and that ECHR judgments did not necessarily have to be followed by British courts.

According to the Ministry of Justice, it would certify that injunctions ordered by the ECHR under Rule 39, which halted the Rwandan flight, were not binding.

Stephanie Boyce, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, said it would create an acceptable class of human rights violations, while Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, said it was unsurprising that politicians held accountable by human rights laws wanted them removed.

"This is not about tinkering with rights. It's about removing them," Deshmukh said.

  • Rwanda
  • Rwanda plan
  • UK
  • United Kingdom
  • Britain
  • Refugees
  • Refugee crisis
  • Ukraine
  • Ukraine crisis
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Hi-tech holocaust: Microsoft’s role in Gaza genocide

Microsoft's role in world’s first AI-driven genocide, in Gaza, exposed

  • Technology
  • 28 Oct 2025
What Marr evidently didn't seem to understand was that Hedges isn't saying that Western journalists manipulate the truth, but that they systematically amplify Israeli narratives they know are false. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Western journalists know they have a case to answer for their betrayal of Gaza, and it frightens them

  • Opinion
  • 24 Oct 2025
Sheikh Naim Qassem speaks during an interview with Al-Manar TV, October 26, 2025 (Screenshot)

Hezbollah ready to face 'Israel' in case of war: Sheikh Naim Qassem

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
ap
Politics

Hamas calls on int’l community to act against Israeli settlement plan

In this Nov. 9, 2017, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (AP)
Economy

Ex-US diplomat says Trump-Xi deal 'tactical retreat', not lasting deal

An unarmed Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, during a test in 2002. (US Air Force)
Politics

JD Vance defends Trump's nuclear test plan as 'crucial for security'

Ultra-Orthodox Jews attend the "million man" protest against military conscription, in occupied al-Quds, October 30, 2025 (AFP)
Politics

Haredi mass rally in al-Quds exposes Zionist regime's growing crisis

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS