UK: Fifty migrants will be transferred to Rwanda, according to Boris Johnson

Fifty migrants have been told that they will be the first to be deported to Rwanda, in East Africa, as part of the government’s divisive resettlement strategy.

People found to have entered the UK illegally now face being flown to Rwanda for resettlement under a new pact.

The policy has received much criticism.

Over 160 organisations, the Archbishop of Canterbury, opposition parties, and top Conservative Party backbenchers, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, are among those who oppose it.

They have expressed concerns about the policy’s ethics, constitutionality, expense, and effectiveness.

Several asylum seekers in the UK have gone into hiding due to fears of being deported to Rwanda, according to aid organisations.

The possibility of deportation has also led to self-harm, with one person attempting suicide, according to the Red Cross and the Refugee Council.

However, few boat crossings have continued. According to the most recent government data, 792 migrants came in tiny boats between May 2 and 8.

The Home Office announced earlier this week that it would begin informing the first people it intended to deport to Rwanda. People who had crossed the Channel would be among them, according to the department.

Those individuals will have seven to fourteen days to file an objection. It is widely believed that the proposals will face legal challenges. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, has stated that the process will “take time,” but that she will not be deterred.

The new regulation is in response to a sharp increase in the number of small boat crossings over the English Channel this year, with over 6,000 people crossing so far.

According to Home Office data, 28,526 people crossed the border in 2021, up from 8,466 the year before.

The government claims that the new plan will be a big setback for people smugglers and that it will prevent individuals from dying on risky journeys to the UK.

Ms Patel claims that those who oppose the programme have “no remedies” to the problem of risky small boat crossings.