United Kingdom begins detaining migrants who will be deported to Rwanda | World

UK begins detaining migrants who will be deported to Rwanda

British authorities have begun detaining migrants in preparation for them to be sent to Rwanda in the near future, the government said on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s flagship immigration policy.

More than 7,500 migrants arrived in England in small boats from France this year, and the government claims the policy will deter people from making dangerous journeys across the English Channel. Five people died trying to cross last week.

Human rights charities and trade unions opposing the policy are expected to launch new legal challenges to stop the flights from taking off, after the UK High Court declared the policy illegal last year.

Footage released by the British Home Office on Wednesday showed one man being placed in a van by immigration authorities and another being led out of the house in handcuffs.

“Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at a rapid pace to quickly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground,” Home Affairs Minister James Cleverly said in a statement Wednesday.

Care4Calais, a refugee charity, said the arrests began on Monday.

A spokesperson said the group’s helpline had received calls from “dozens of people”, adding that they did not yet know who would be on the first deportation flight, or when the operation would begin.

The UK has sent its first asylum seeker to Rwanda under a voluntary scheme, The Sun newspaper reported on Tuesday, a program separate from the deportation policy.

“People are very scared,” said Natasha Tsangarides, associate director of advocacy at the charity Freedom from Torture, saying the fear of being detained and sent to Rwanda would drive some people to go underground and disconnect from their support system.

UK will deport illegal immigrants and forcibly send them to Rwanda; understand