The Government has started rounding up asylum seekers who face deportation to Rwanda.
A video released by the Home Office shows a handcuffed man being put in a van by immigration officers in the desperate scramble to get flights in the air. At least seven of them surrounded him as he was led to the vehicle. It is one of a series of operations across the country as ministers try to get to grips with two years of failure – during which time more than £240million of taxpayers’ cash has been handed to the African nation.
The Government wants to get asylum seekers on deportation flights as quickly as possible as ministers grapple with a massive asylum backlog. But they faces questions after suggesting thousands of people who have been earmarked to be sent to Rwanda are missing.
After the footage was released, charity Detention Action said: “We’re appalled that the Home Secretary has released video footage of people seeking asylum being taken in handcuffs from their accommodation & driven into detention. This grotesque display only adds to the inhumanity of the government’s Rwanda plan.”
The video also sparked anger in the Commons. SNP MP Alison Thewliss said: “It turns my stomach. A Government that glorifies its state sponsored people trafficking plans as it cuffs people and takes them out their beds to be sent to another country against their will – it’s sickening.”
A Labour source accused the Tories of trying to get “symbolic” flights in the air in a devious pre-election ruse. And human rights groups say the detentions are causing fear and distress among people who fled persecution.
It comes as new figures show small boat crossings are 27% higher than last year, despite the Government saying the Rwanda plan will be a deterrent. So far 7,567 people have made the dangerous Channel crossing and 14 have died, including two seven-year-old girls.
Rishi Sunak says he wants the first deportation flights to set off in the next nine to 11 weeks – meaning they would start in July. But a document published by the Home Office on Monday has raised questions about the number of potential deportees who are missing. It revealed that out of 5,700 people identified for removal, just 2,145 can be “located for detention”.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch was this morning forced to defend handing £3,000 of taxpayers’ cash to a failed asylum seeker who agreed to relocate to Rwanda. She said the Government should be “trumpeting” the man’s decision – but critics say it is a huge waste of money.
Downing Street has denied that the decision to detain asylum seekers prior is connected to the upcoming local elections. The Prime Minister’s press secretary said: “From our part there isn’t really a day to lose when people are dying in the Channel having been induced into boats by gangs.
“People are ultimately breaking into our country so of course we want to get moving as rapidly as possible and the PM has always been consistent that he would move as quickly as he could.”
Human rights groups have lashed out at the Government for rounding up asylum seekers who could be sent on a one-way flight to Kigali. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “The Government’s move to detain people is causing fear, distress and great anxiety amongst men, women and children who have fled war and persecution to reach safety in the UK. Children have been sending messages to our staff terrified that their age disputed status will put them at risk of removal to Rwanda. We have also seen a worsening in the mental health and wellbeing of people we work with in the asylum system.
“By contradicting the Supreme Court to push ahead with the Rwanda Plan, the Government is laying the foundations for the next asylum crisis. Our analysis has shown that it is likely to lead to an unprecedented system meltdown, leaving tens of thousands of refugees from countries like Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria stranded in permanent limbo and shut out of the asylum system.”
A Labour source has dismissed the round-up of asylum seekers as a desperate election ploy before voters go to the polls. Referencing criticism by former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, they said: “Is there any more blatant sign that Jenrick was right about this all being symbolic before an election than this mad flurry of stories?
“The core substance though hasn’t changed. This is a tiny scheme at an extortionate cost and the criminal gangs will see through this con.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “Our Rwanda partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it. Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.
“This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.”
The UK has already agreed to hand over £370million to Kigali over five years – plus a one-off £120million payment once 300 people have handed one-way tickets, and further payments of £20,000 for each individual.