NewsRescue
Suella Braverman, the British Home Office Secretary, has insisted that Rwanda is a safe haven for the refugees who would be sent there under the UK’s contentious $170 million (£140 million) migrant deportation program.
During a working visit to Rwanda this week, Braverman reaffirmed the UK’s “commitment to the ground-breaking partnership,” which she described as “a powerful deterrent against dangerous and illegal journeys.”
She visited a modern housing estate being built in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, for refugees and migrants deported from the UK, and she also expanded the deportation agreement to include all migrants who illegally enter British territory after passing through’safe’ countries.
Despite the fact that the agreement between the two countries, which are approximately 6,500 kilometers apart, has been in place since last year, no one has been sent to the central African country due to legal complications.
The United Kingdom sought such an agreement in order to halt the influx of migrants and refugees arriving in small boats.
Rwandan officials have stated that they will integrate any immigrants and refugees arriving from the United Kingdom, though the timeline is unknown.
“Mixing Rwandans and migrants is a good thing because it will help Rwandans live in more modern areas.” On the other hand, it will make it easier for migrants to integrate into the Rwandan community,” Alain Mukuralinda, the Rwandan government’s deputy spokesman, told reporters.
Despite assurances, the controversial Illegal Migration Bill, dubbed an asylum ban by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, is facing stiff opposition not only from rights groups and political opponents, but also from within Braverman’s own party.
According to the Refugee Council, as a result of the initiative, approximately 200,000 people may be imprisoned or forced into poverty, and nearly 45,000 children may have their asylum applications denied.
The US State Department has condemned the move, calling it unjust and an attempt to punish asylum seekers in the UK.
According to the United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor’s 2022 report on human rights practices in Rwanda, the central African country is experiencing an increase in human rights issues such as extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention, political imprisonment, and restrictions on freedom of expression.
Braverman, on the other hand, dismissed criticism of Rwanda’s human rights record, saying that permanent resettlement from the United Kingdom would be a “blessing.” She emphasized that those deported would have a “safe and secure life,” and she referred to the approach as “humane” and “compassionate.”
