The proposal, announced last week, was widely condemned as inhumane, illegal, inapplicable and prohibitively costly. Critics have blamed Tory MPs and peers, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who said in his Easter Sunday sermon that the plan “does not stand up to God’s judgment”. Writing in the Times in a joint article with Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta, Patel, the interior minister, retaliated against the critics. He said the proposal was an act of a “humanitarian nation”, describing the co-operation as “groundbreaking” and one that would set “a new international standard”. He said: “We are taking bold and innovative steps and it is surprising that the institutions that criticize the plans are failing to offer their own solutions.” The interior minister said the plans would help end the “deadly trafficking” of human beings and also the “deeply unfair” current situation that “promotes those who have the means to pay traffickers for the vulnerable they can not”. He said: “We can provide people with legal, safe, orderly and controlled ways to improve their lives, escape oppression, persecution or conflict and enjoy new opportunities.” However, a letter to the Prime Minister from 150 British refugee support organizations, including the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Rainbow Migration and Hope not Hate, claimed that the plan would “cause great inconvenience” and “result in more , no less. “Dangerous travel – leaving more people at risk of trafficking.” The government has also been criticized for not creating new safe and legal routes to the UK for asylum seekers, having previously suggested that such new routes would ensure that people would no longer have to risk their lives trying to reach the UK. . Patel and Biruta also defended Rwanda against critics pointing to its poor human rights record, with groups recording torture of detainees. They wrote that the program “will support the humane and respectful treatment of refugees, provide human capital opportunities to migrants and the host community, and provide safe and legal avenues for those fleeing persecution and insecurity.” Energy Secretary Greg Hunts reiterated Patel’s defense. Asked by Sky News if the Archbishop of Canterbury had made a mistake in calling the plan “disrespectful”, he said: “I think what others, the critics of this plan, have to do is show what their solution would be.” He also rejected suggestions that the program was inapplicable, insisting it would serve as a “significant deterrent” to people trying to cross the Channel in small boats. “We believe it will work and we are confident it will work,” he told Times Radio. “We have to send this message now – that crossing the Channel illegally will not necessarily lead to the location of the person in the UK. “Well, relocating to Rwanda is there – it will act as a major deterrent, we believe, for the people making this trip, and [it] it will ultimately be to the detriment of the smugglers who … we want to shut down. “
