(London) The first migrants the UK is likely to deport to Rwanda have been arrested and detained, a new step in a highly criticized policy taken two days before a high-stakes election for the ruling Conservative Party.
“The first illegal immigrants deported to Rwanda have been placed in detention after a series of operations carried out this week at the national level,” the Ministry of the Interior wrote in a press release, without specifying how many people were involved or how many. Countries of origin.
He adds, “More arrests should be made in the coming weeks.”
In its press release, the ministry published photos and videos showing law enforcement officers arresting migrants.
Its broadcast, like the announcement of the immigration detention, comes two days before local elections in England and Wales, in which the Conservatives risk heavy losses.
“This measure is an essential part of the plan to ensure flights to Rwanda over the next nine to eleven weeks,” the ministry continued.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman said, “I am pleased that the Home Office has led these operations,” welcoming “an important element in publishing the flight departure plan within nine to eleven weeks and ensuring effective deterrence” to prevent crossings of the English Channel. On small boats.
The head of the conservative government promised to put an end to the crossing of illegal immigrants. More than 7,500 people have arrived since the beginning of the year, a historic record for the first four months of the year.
First voluntary departure
Parliament adopted a controversial law last week allowing the expulsion of some of these migrants to Rwanda.
Their asylum application will be examined in the East African country and they will not be able to return to the UK whatever the outcome.
The government plans to begin evictions in early summer.
The Home Office again said in its press release that the policy “will make clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.”
“Differentiate us […] The statement quoted Home Secretary James Cleverley as saying: “We are working quickly to quickly stop people who have no right to be here, so that we can get flights off the ground.”
The ministry said that commercial flights had been booked.
The government indicated on Tuesday that it hopes to deport an already identified group of 5,700 people to Rwanda “by the end of the year.”
While the government has made no secret of the fact that it expects legal challenges against this provision, the union of senior civil servants, the FDA, announced on Wednesday that it had filed an appeal.
The Union believes that the new law exposes civil servants to violating international law, and therefore administrative law, if the British government decides, as the text states, to ignore the decision of the European Court of Human Rights.
“Civil servants should never find themselves in a situation where they find themselves in conflict between ministers’ instructions and respect for management law,” condemned the union’s general secretary, Dave Penman.
“This is exactly what the government chose to do,” he continued, denouncing the “irresponsible” approach and “a political choice that was not made for the good of the country, but to avoid the discontent of the warring factions” among conservatives.
The first immigrant was deported to Rwanda on Monday, according to British media, but within the framework of another program that relies on volunteer work. This migrant, originally from the African continent, who was offered £3,000, agreed to leave for the East African country on a commercial flight after his asylum application was rejected.
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