The United Kingdom is set to reroute asylum seeks 6,000 miles away to the East African country of Rwanda.
The asylum seekers will have their immigration claims for entering the UK processed in Africa as part of a controversial scheme announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
At a speech on the 14th of April, 2022 delivered in Dover, Southeastern England he said :
“From today, anyone entering the UK illegally as well as those who have arrived illegally since January 1 may now be relocated to Rwanda.”
The choice of location of the speech is quite symbolic as thousands of refugees and illegal migrants landed on the beaches of Dover after crossing the English Channel between France and the UK on boats last year.
There is no coherent information on the particularized details of the plan. There is a feeling that it plans to target mostly single men attempting to enter the country as PM Johnson had earlier hinted at.
PM Johnson said the deal between the UK and Rwanda could potentially witness the resettling of tens of thousands of migrants and refugees in the coming years.
The scheme is set to cost around £120 Million and, according to the PM, aims at saving countless lives from human trafficking and disrupting the operational framework of human smuggling cartels.
While some have welcomed the development including Priti Patel, criticisms are rife from Labour Party opposition politicians and refugee organisations citing the ethical and commercial dimensions of the deal including concerns over the human rights record of Rwanda.
But critics, including opposition politicians and refugee organisations, have warned the plan is unethical, unworkable and overly expensive. They have also raised concerns over Rwanda’s human rights record.
Below are some images of the facility set to house the first wave of rerouted migrants.
It is said to have 50 rooms with a combined capacity of 100 persons. Migrants will be provided with three square meals with plans in place for those with special dietary requirements.
