Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Britain Plans to Deport Immigrants to Live in Rwanda


Mon 20 Mar 2023 | 11:36 AM
Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak
Ahmed Moamar

The British government has announced that it may start deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda in the next few months if the British courts approve the legality of this controversial policy.

The British Home Office stated that it aims to start flights “before the summer”, as Home Secretary Soila Braverman visited the East African country to confirm the Conservative government’s commitment to the plan, and met in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, with President Paul Kagame and Foreign Minister Vincent Perotta, and inspected the designated accommodation. To house individuals who have been deported from the UK, a brick has been laid in another housing project for immigrants.

"I was absolutely thrilled to see the rich opportunities this country can offer to people who are relocated through our partnership," Braverman said.

In the same context, Perotta stressed that Rwanda will provide migrants with "the opportunity to build a new life in a safe place through residency, education, and vocational training."

The UK and Rwanda struck an agreement a year ago under which some migrants arriving in the UK in small boats would be taken to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be processed, and those granted asylum would remain in Rwanda rather than return to Britain.

It is worth noting that more than 45,000 people arrived in Britain by boat in 2022, compared to about 8,500 people in 2020.