Johnson reveals plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda

Bloomberg

Boris Johnson revealed a controversial plan to send asylum seekers who cross the English Channel to Rwanda, a move the UK prime minister said will face significant legal hurdles as he tries to position his government on a flash-point political issue.
Migrants who come to Britain on small boats risk being sent to the African state, Johnson said in a speech. The measure, which is a major shift in approach, is designed to deter people from making the dangerous crossing, he said. About 28,000 did so last year.
“This problem has bedeviled our country for too long and caused far too much human suffering and tragedy,” Johnson said. “This is the government that refuses to duck the difficult decisions.”
The plan is likely to spark a huge political row in the UK, given the criticism faced by other countries with similar policies.
There has already been a major backlash from opposition parties and human rights groups, while it’s not a given that Johnson can rely on the support of all of his Conservative lawmakers — some of whom have spoken against the principle of offshore centers in the past.
Johnson appeared to relish the battle ahead, predicting a challenge in the courts he said would make it unlikely for the plan to go ahead immediately. He knows that will put pressure on the main opposition Labour Party ahead of local elections on May 5, while appealing to those Tory voters who backed Brexit on the grounds that it would boost control of immigration. The next general election is due by 2024.
Labour’s shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, called the plan “unworkable, unethical and extortionate.”
The Refugee Council called it “cruel and nasty” and accused the government of treating refugees as “no more than human cargo to be shipped elsewhere.” Johnson dismissed criticism that the policy lacks compassion, saying it’s worse to encourage a system where many asylum seekers are exploited by people smugglers and drown in the Channel. He also defended Rwanda, saying the country had improved in recent years and is one of the safest in the world.

Human Rights
Still, the UK’s own international ambassador for human rights, Rita French, as recently as July criticised Rwanda for failing to agree “to conduct transparent, credible and independent investigations into
allegations of human rights violations including deaths in custody and torture.”
Johnson did not say what proportion of migrants would be sent to Rwanda — though he said the agreement with the African nation is “uncapped” — nor how much it would cost the UK government to resettle them.
Cabinet minister Simon Hart told Sky News earlier the agreement with Rwanda will cost about 120 million pounds ($158 million), and is focused on “male economic migrants in the main.”
Speaking in a joint press conference with British Home Secretary Priti Patel in the Rwandan capital Kigali, Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said his country has the capacity to receive the migrants from the UK and plans to invest in more “social infrastructure” to enable the plans, including education.
“We are giving them the chance to make new lives in our country as full members of our communities,” Biruta said.
“This will not only help them but will benefit Rwanda and Rwandans and help to advance our own development.” Those who don’t want to settle in Rwanda will be helped to return to their country of origin, or other countries receiving migrants, he said.
The announcement comes at a time when Johnson is trying to shift the narrative away from the so-called Partygate scandal that’s dogged his government since late last year.
Police are investigating a dozen allegedly rule-breaking gatherings in government buildings during the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, and two days ago they fined Johnson over his involvement — making him the first sitting prime minister to be found in breach of the law. He refused to quit and said he wants to focus on the electorate’s priorities.
One of those priorities is immigration: a failure to solve the issue has been embarrassing for Johnson’s administration, given his promise to “take back control” of Britain’s borders during the Brexit referendum.
Channel crossings have also been a regular source of tension with France, with the UK accusing President Emmanuel Macron’s government of not doing enough to prevent migrants leaving French shores.
About 600 people crossed the Channel on Wednesday and the numbers crossing could again reach a thousand a day within weeks, Johnson said.
This year Patel appointed Alexander Downer, a former Australian foreign minister, to review the UK Border Force.
He has previously urged the UK to adopt Australia’s controversial policy of turning back migrant boats, and oversaw the creation of the “Pacific Solution,” which saw asylum seekers arriving in Australia from Indonesia sent to offshore detention centres.