LONDON – Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said he would announce a migration partnership with Rwanda on Thursday, sparking speculation that the deal would include sending migrants arriving in Britain to the African nation. to handle.
Details of the new pact, and who could be affected, weren’t clear on Wednesday night, though British media reports have suggested that the government is probing proposals to send asylum seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda.for their request to be processed there.
Downing Street said the move Mr Johnson announced would be an attempt to tackle illegal immigration at a time when thousands of people have crossed the English Channel in small boats.
Any proposal on how to process asylum applications is likely to provoke protests and outrage on civil liberties grounds. Previous attempts to discuss the handling of migration cases in Albania and Ghana have been fruitless.
The UK government has proposed a legal framework to be able to Refugees out of the country while their applications are processed and arrest those arriving by boat through the English Channel. The proposal is still working its way through Congress.
Mr Johnson is due to speak on Thursday morning in Kent, a coastal region where thousands of asylum seekers have arrived after crossing the dangerous English Channel, often in unreliable boats. from France.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Downing Street said the prime minister would detail the plan after his speech, which was “signed by the home secretary, Priti Patel.” The statement also called Rwanda “one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, globally recognized for its record of welcoming and integrating migrants”.
According to the BBC, at least 2,354 people arrived in the UK in small boats last month, almost three times more than in the same month last year, and Sky News reports that UK border officers are expected to have a total about 60,000 visitors this year.
While the number of asylum seekers arriving by boat in 2021 is significantly higher than the previous year – and is likely to rise again in 2022 – experts say it signals a change in route: Those hoping to enter the UK to apply for asylum have moved from other countries their means of entry such as smuggling by truck and arriving by plane, as some international travel has been halted due to the pandemic.
The total number of asylum applications is still significantly below its peak two decades ago, with the total in 2021 just over half what it was in 2002.
Asylum seekers often arrive in the UK from war-torn countries, such as Syria and Iraq, or looking for financial opportunities, although crossing the border can be deadly. In an episode last year, at least 27 men, women and children died try to overcome.
Mr. Johnson, who is under political pressure at home after being fined on Tuesday regarding the violation of the locking rules, it would be welcome to debate another matter.
Other countries have tried such tough tactics to try to deter migrants, including Australia, which has used refugee processing centers on Pacific islands like Nauru. In September, The Danish parliament has passed a law allowing the country to move asylum seekers outside of Europe to have their asylum claims assessed.despite criticism from human rights groups and the United Nations.
Britain’s failure to stop the crossings is a nagging embarrassment for the government led by Mr Johnson, who campaigned for Brexit in a 2016 referendum, claiming it would allow it “regain control” of its borders.
According to excerpts from his speech, published in advance by Downing Street, Mr Johnson is expected to say that Britain “cannot sustain a parallel illegal system. Our compassion may be limitless, but our ability to help others is not. ”
Megan Specia contribution report.
