The unnamed man was flown out of the country on Monday, The Sun newspaper reported on Tuesday. The voluntary program differs from the controversial forced deportation plan that Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pushed through last week after a long dispute in Parliament.
According to the latter program, asylum seekers can be deported to the African country classified as a safe third country, regardless of their origin and without examining their asylum application. However, under the voluntary program, each asylum seeker receives up to 3,000 pounds (3,509.06 euros) to travel to Rwanda. The British government wants to reduce the number of people who have come to the country in recent years. “This agreement will enable people without immigration status in the UK to be resettled in a safe third country where they will be helped to rebuild their lives,” a government spokesman said.
Received £3,000
As the “Sun” reported on Tuesday evening, the man, who comes from an unnamed African country, traveled to Rwanda on a scheduled flight on Monday. There he received around 3,000 pounds as entry money from the British treasury. The report was confirmed by government circles to Sky News.
The action is not part of the British government’s much-criticized plan to deport thousands of irregularly entered asylum seekers to Rwanda, regardless of their origin. The “Sun” nevertheless spoke of a historic moment that shows that it is possible to deport asylum seekers to a third country. In contrast, the opposition Labor Party criticized it as a PR campaign during the election campaign.
“Tories are so desperate”
“The Tories are so desperate to send any flight to Rwanda before the local elections that they have now paid someone to fly there,” said Labor domestic affairs spokeswoman Yvette Cooper. Sunak’s Conservative Party faces a bitter defeat in the local elections in England this Thursday.
Critics see the British government’s Rwanda deportation plan as a breach of international rules. Prime Minister Sunak announced last week that the first deportation flights to the African country should take off in ten to twelve weeks. However, the authorities apparently do not know the whereabouts of more than 3,500 of the 5,700 people initially scheduled for deportation, as The Times newspaper reported.
Tens of thousands of migrants have arrived in Britain in recent years, many fleeing war and poverty in their home countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. They often take the risky route across the English Channel in small boats. The crossing is often organized by gangs of smugglers. The government wants to curb immigration and is thus implementing one of its key election promises. The law stipulates that after January 1, 2022, those who entered the country illegally can be sent to Rwanda, more than 6,000 kilometers away. According to official figures, more than 50,000 people have come to Britain since then.
