UK Home Office to detain asylum seekers in Rwanda operation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
1 May 2024 10:30

The Rwanda operation commenced weeks ahead of schedule, believed to be strategically timed to coincide with local elections.

A protester stands outside the Supreme Court in London, on November 15, 2023. (AP)

The UK's Home Office is set to launch a major operation to detain asylum seekers across the UK on Monday, in preparation to deport them to Rwanda, The Guardian revealed.

Officials intend to hold asylum seekers who turn up at immigration service offices for routine meetings or bail appointments and plan to pick people up in a surprise two-week operation.

According to lawyers and campaigners, detentions risked provoking protracted legal battles, community protests, and clashes with police.

“The government is determined to recklessly pursue its inhumane Rwanda plan despite the cost, chaos, and human misery it will unleash. We know it is likely to cause a catastrophic system meltdown," warned Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council.

Detainees will be relocated to detention centers which have been prearranged for this operation and will remain detained until their departure on flights bound for Rwanda. Some will board the initial flight scheduled to depart this summer.

PM ready to fight 'illegal migration'

The Home Office declared that the ratification of the prime minister's Safety of Rwanda Act signifies that the government is now in the concluding stage of implementing this groundbreaking policy to combat 'illegal migration' and prevent maritime crossings.

It added, "At some stage inevitably, this will include detaining people in preparation for the first flight, which is set to take off to Rwanda in 10 to 12 weeks. It would be inappropriate to comment further on operational activity."

The commencement of the Home Office's detention operation, unexpected for weeks, aligns with Thursday's local council elections in England, where the Tories could potentially lose up to half the seats they presently occupy. That said, Rishi Sunak said on Sunday that cracking down on illegal migration was central to the Tory campaign.

During an interview where he reiterated "Rwanda" and "illegal migration" 13 times, the prime minister emphasized on Sunday his commitment to "stopping the boats," alongside his economic promises. On Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, he resolved to kickstart the Rwanda scheme.

Members in opposition of Rwanda Act

Labour MP Kim Johnson, who sits on the Home Affairs committee, said, "Rishi Sunak and his government are determined to prove this scheme will work when everyone apart from the Tories knows it is an abject failure. Detaining desperate people who have been languishing in a state of uncertainty for far too long, and using them for political point-scoring, is amoral. It sums up this government, and that’s why we need a general election ASAP, to get rid once and for all."

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson, Alistair Carmichael, said, "This is a grubby attempt by the Conservatives to distract from their appalling record a few days out from the local elections. The Rwanda scheme is immoral, unworkable, and expensive for taxpayers."

"We have been absolutely clear in our opposition to the Rwanda bill since it was introduced. The UK should be upholding the 1951 UN refugee convention and supporting people in need of protection, not undermining international protection," said a Scottish government spokesperson.