Government expects to deport 5,700 migrants and asylum seekers to Rwanda this year, but rights groups ready to mount new legal challenge.
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| One of 50 twin bedrooms at Hope Hostel in Kigali, Rwanda, set up to accommodate UK asylum seekers. Photo: Atulinda Allan/AP Photo via aljazeera.com |
British authorities have started detaining asylum seekers as part of a new scheme to deport them to Rwanda, the government said, with the first flights expected to take off as early as July.
“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,” said Home Secretary James Cleverly on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has promised to stop migrants and asylum seekers arriving on small boats from mainland Europe, had declared last week that the government would begin detaining people promptly before deportation flights start within “10 to 12 weeks”.
A senior minister revealed on Tuesday that the government expects to deport 5,700 people this year, after it was confirmed that Rwanda had “in principle” agreed to accept that number.
aljazeera.com
