Channel migrants to be sent to Rwanda

Military to take charge of tackling illegal crossings as Priti Patel unveils ‘offshore processing’ plan

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent. On Wednesday, 600 migrants reached the UK - the highest number in a day so far this year
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent. On Wednesday, 600 migrants reached the UK - the highest number in a day so far this year Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Channel migrants will be flown more than 5,000 miles to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed in an “offshore” facility, the Home Secretary will announce.

Priti Patel will set out the details of a landmark immigration deal that will mean thousands of asylum seekers are relocated to the landlocked east African nation.

It comes as Boris Johnson prepares to warn that "vile" people-smugglers are “turning the Channel into a watery graveyard”, with migrants “drowning in unseaworthy boats and suffocating in refrigerated lorries”. 

In a major speech on Thursday, the Prime Minister will unveil a series of measures aimed at tackling illegal immigration, including putting the military in charge of operations in the Channel.

He will also signal moves to end housing asylum seekers in expensive hotel accommodation and unveil plans for the first purpose-built reception centre in England to hold illegal arrivals.

The immigration blueprint is a key part of plans to relaunch Mr Johnson’s premiership ahead of local elections after a public backlash over “partygate”

The Channel migrant crisis has been blamed for exacerbating problems at airports by drawing Border Force officers away to handle it.

Ms Patel, the Home Secretary, has come under huge pressure to cut the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, which has already hit a record 4,600 this year – double last year’s figure. On Wednesday, 600 migrants reached the UK – the highest number in a day so far this year.

Ministers have struggled to remove illegal Channel migrants once they arrive in Britain and have been accommodating them in hotels at a multi-million pound cost.

They believe offshore processing will act as a deterrent to migrants, who are incentivised to cross the Channel by the belief that it is difficult for the UK to remove them.

It is understood that under the terms of the deal, migrants who arrive in the UK will be flown to Rwanda to be processed and will be encouraged to settle there. The deal will initially cost £120 million, compared to an annual £1.5 billion bill for asylum seekers in the UK.

A source said: “You are going to be met by the Army. They will drive you to the airport and send you straight to Rwanda. That is where you are going to end up in the hope that would be enough to deter migrants. That is why the military comes in, so you don’t have battles on the quayside.”

Downing Street has stressed that Rwanda is one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa and is “recognised globally for its record on welcoming and integrating migrants”.

The plans are modelled on the Australian offshore processing of asylum seekers in centres on the islands of Nauru and Manus, in Papua New Guinea. Ms Patel has flown to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, to announce the migration and economic development partnership.

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, is met by delegates after arriving in Rwanda
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, is met by delegates after arriving in Rwanda Credit: Flora Thompson/PA Wire

Ministers are also expected to announce the first purpose-built Greek-style reception centre in England, where migrants will have to obey strict rules or lose their rights to claim asylum.

The centre, on a former RAF base, will be modelled on camps for asylum seekers being built by Greece, where migrants face routine checks on their movements and curfews to prevent absconding.

Councils will also be given extra money to disperse asylum seekers as the Government tries to move away from housing them in hotels.

Announcing the plans, Mr Johnson will say: “Before Christmas, 27 people drowned – and in the weeks ahead, there may be many more losing their lives at sea and whose bodies may never be recovered. 

“I accept that these people – whether 600 or 1,000 – are in search of a better life, the opportunities that the United Kingdom provides and the hope of a fresh start. But it is these hopes, these dreams, that have been exploited.”

The announcement comes after Mr Johnson appointed David Canzini, a combative election strategist, in February in the wake of damaging revelations about parties in Downing Street

Home Office officials are understood to be braced for a major backlash to the plans, but will insist the UK will be better able to support those fleeing genuine persecution by deterring illegal entry.

Britain and other European countries have previously been accused of “double standards” over the treatment of Ukrainian refugees compared with those from the Middle East.

People thought to be migrants arrive on British shores on Wednesday
People thought to be migrants arrive on British shores on Wednesday Credit: Steve Finn Photography

Earlier this month, a House of Lords rebellion cast doubt over the plans to send migrants abroad. Peers effectively demanded the right to veto any country they deemed inappropriate, unsafe or too expensive. The scheme could cost £100,000 per asylum seeker, according to some estimates.

They backed an amendment to the Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill, stating that MPs and Lords must approve the “appropriateness, safety and cost” of the chosen countries. 

It is the second time the upper house has overruled the Commons on the Bill, which now has to go back to MPs to decide whether to reverse the amendment.

Mr Johnson will say that the UK only has the capacity to resettle people from war-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine through legal routes if the “parallel illegal system” is shut down.

“The British people voted several times to control our borders – not to close them, but to control them,” he will add. “So just as Brexit allowed us to take back control of legal immigration by replacing free movement with our points-based system, we are also taking back control of illegal immigration with a long-term plan for asylum in this country.”

The Refugee Council has branded the plans "cruel and nasty", saying that it will fail to address the issue and "lead to more human suffering and chaos".

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