British Home Secretary Soella Braverman on Saturday defended a controversial project to expel migrants who have irregularly arrived in the UK to Rwanda, saying it was a “humane” and “compassionate” project.
The UK Conservative government has made combating irregular immigration a priority and signed an agreement with Rwanda more than a year ago to expel part of the illegal immigrants to that African country.
The agreement seeks to ban all asylum claims by those arriving irregularly and transfer them to “safe” third countries, such as Rwanda, to prevent thousands of migrants from crossing the English Channel in unstable boats.
“I sincerely believe that this world-class partnership between two allies and two friends, the United Kingdom and Rwanda, will lead the way to finding a solution that is both humane and compassionate,” Braverman said in Kigali.
She was joined by Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Perotta, who said the deal would not only “help dismantle criminal smuggling networks” but “save lives”.
Many human rights organizations have decried the project, which seeks to discourage perilous crossings across the English Channel.
More than 45,000 people reached the UK via the dangerous Channel route last year. In 2021 there were 28,526.
The Interior Ministry statement said that during his visit to Rwanda, Braverman visited “long-stay” centers for people returning to the African country.
Some media outlets, such as The Guardian or the BBC, were not invited to cover the minister’s trip.
The Rwandan government has reaffirmed its willingness to receive “thousands” of people under the agreement, according to the statement from the British ministry.
London’s High Court ruled in December that the British government’s controversial plan was legal, but the court agreed in January to consider an appeal process.
The European Court of Human Rights suspended the first flight in June, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government has vowed to resume the policy.
Rwanda, which has been ruled with an iron fist by President Paul Kagame since the end of a 1994 genocide that left more than 800,000 dead, is regularly accused of suppressing dissenting and dissenting voices.
On Saturday, thousands demonstrated in various cities in the United Kingdom against the project.
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France Press agency
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