Home Secretary Priti Patel this week signed an agreement with the East African country to deport some people who arrive in the UK illegally to seek asylum. In the 24 hours to Friday, 181 migrants in six boats were intercepted in small boats in the English Channel, the Ministry of Defense announced. Gillian Triggs, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), described it as “unacceptable” and a “worrying development” during the refugee crisis in Ukraine. Read more: Why are migrants being sent to Rwanda and how will it work? Image: Rwanda is more than 4,000 miles from the United Kingdom More than 10 million Ukrainians are believed to have fled their homes due to the war, the UN estimates, with more than 4 million fleeing to neighboring countries. Ms Triggs, who is Australian, was asked about a similar offshore immigration system in her country. “My point is, just as Australian policy is a clear violation of international and refugee law and human rights law, so is this proposal by the UK Government,” he told the BBC. “It’s very unusual, very few countries have tried it and the purpose is primarily deterrent – and it can be effective, I do not think we deny it. “But what we are saying in the UN refugee agency is that there are much more effective legal ways to achieve the same result.” He spoke in support of the US Alliance, but said that maintaining some independence was not the answer. Image: Immigrants expected to be initially sent to a hostel in the Rwandan capital, Kigali Image: Inside Hope House, where migrants will stay while their asylum applications are processed “Violation of the Geneva Convention” In an interview with the Guardian, Lord Dumps said he believed the agreement violated the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees. “I think it’s a way to get rid of people the government does not want, to throw them in a distant African country and they will have no chance of getting out of there again. You can not just expel them as unwanted people.” Announcing the plan this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he expected to face legal challenges. “We are confident that our new immigration partnership is in full compliance with our international legal obligations, but we still expect this to be challenged in court,” he said. Ms Patel, who signed the 120 120m deal in Kigali on Thursday, said it would soon be used as “planning” for other countries, most notably Denmark. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 10:25 The Minister of Immigration defends the plan of Rwanda “There is no doubt now that the model we have presented, I am convinced it is world class and world first, and will be used as a design in the future, there is no doubt about it,” he said. Home Secretary rejects concerns over cost of top civil servants Questions have been raised about the cost of the system, which some have said would be more expensive than “putting immigrants in the Ritz”. It emerged yesterday that Ms Patel had issued a “ministerial directive” on Rwanda’s plan, meaning she had rejected the financial targets of senior Interior Ministry officials in it. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 7:43 What do Rwandans think about the plan? Responding to the reports, an Interior Ministry source told Sky News: “Interior Ministry officials are clear that preventing illegal entry will create significant savings. However, such a deterrent effect cannot be quantified with certainty. “It would be a mistake to let the lack of accurate modeling delay a policy aimed at reducing illegal immigration, saving lives and overthrowing the business model of smuggling gangs.” The government claims that the smuggling of illegal immigrants from the UK to Rwanda could begin within weeks.
