UK
Home Office in fresh row with UNHCR over Rwanda asylum policyDespite court hearing, Home Office continues to claim UNHCR is supportive of controversial scheme
Protesters demonstrate in central London in June against the UK government’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA
Diane Taylor
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A critical report about flaws in the plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was published last week. The report from the charity Asylos, which produces expert reports about the safety of countries to which the Home Office plans to return asylum seekers to, found fundamental inconsistencies between the Home Office’s assessment of Rwanda as a safe third country and its own findings.
In its response to the Guardian about the Asylos report, the Home Office robustly defended the Rwanda scheme and said it had the support of UNHCR.
The comment about Rwanda offering a welcoming and safe environment was made by a Somali refugee who was staying in Rwanda temporarily after being evacuated from Libya before being resettled elsewhere, rather than by UNHCR.
“I had heard that Rwanda was a safe place and they were welcoming refugees,” the refugee said.
Diane Taylor
THE GUARDIAN
Sun 17 Jul 2022
The Home Office has been accused of misrepresenting the UN refugee agency’s stance on sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, in a new disagreement between the two organisations, the Guardian has learned.
The Home Office and UNHCR have clashed previously over the safety and suitability of the Home Office’s policy of forcibly removing some asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the UK on small boats or in the back of lorries to Rwanda to have their claims processed there.
A high court hearing on 10 June was told that the Home Office misled refugees about UN involvement in Rwanda plans.
But despite UNHCR making its position on the government’s Rwanda scheme clear during the court hearing, the Home Office is continuing to state UNHCR is supportive of the controversial scheme.
The first flight, which was due to take off for Rwanda on 14 June, identified victims of torture and trafficking among those earmarked for the flight. An interim ruling from the European court of human rights grounded the flight at the 11th hour.
A high court hearing is scheduled for September to determine the lawfulness of the Rwanda policy.
The Home Office has been accused of misrepresenting the UN refugee agency’s stance on sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, in a new disagreement between the two organisations, the Guardian has learned.
The Home Office and UNHCR have clashed previously over the safety and suitability of the Home Office’s policy of forcibly removing some asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the UK on small boats or in the back of lorries to Rwanda to have their claims processed there.
A high court hearing on 10 June was told that the Home Office misled refugees about UN involvement in Rwanda plans.
But despite UNHCR making its position on the government’s Rwanda scheme clear during the court hearing, the Home Office is continuing to state UNHCR is supportive of the controversial scheme.
The first flight, which was due to take off for Rwanda on 14 June, identified victims of torture and trafficking among those earmarked for the flight. An interim ruling from the European court of human rights grounded the flight at the 11th hour.
A high court hearing is scheduled for September to determine the lawfulness of the Rwanda policy.
A critical report about flaws in the plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was published last week. The report from the charity Asylos, which produces expert reports about the safety of countries to which the Home Office plans to return asylum seekers to, found fundamental inconsistencies between the Home Office’s assessment of Rwanda as a safe third country and its own findings.
In its response to the Guardian about the Asylos report, the Home Office robustly defended the Rwanda scheme and said it had the support of UNHCR.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our own assessment of Rwanda has found it is a fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers, including working with the UN Refugee Agency, which said the country has a safe and protective environment for refugees. As part of our partnership, the UK is providing an initial investment of £120m to boost the development of Rwanda, including jobs, skills and opportunities, to benefit both migrants and host communities.”
Home Office sources added that last year UNHCR and the EU worked with Rwanda to resettle refugees from Libya there and that UNHCR praised the Rwandan government for offering a welcoming and safe environment to vulnerable people around the world.
A UNHCR UK spokesperson told the Guardian: “Rwanda has generously hosted some 130,000 refugees in recent decades, mostly from neighbouring countries. But those seeking asylum have historically been granted a presumptive (prima facie) legal status – established procedures for individual refugee status determination in Rwanda are minimal. UNHCR holds serious concerns with regard to specific shortcomings of the Rwandan asylum system and Rwanda’s capacity to offer long-term solutions for those being removed under the proposed deal.”
The spokesperson added that the emergency transit mechanism scheme to which the Home Office refers, which evacuates the most vulnerable refugees in Libya to Rwanda, “has vastly different aims and modalities to what is currently being proposed by the UK. Critically, the ETM is an emergency, temporary and voluntary programme – none of which is true of the proposed migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda. The ETM does not involve resettlement or long-term integration in Rwanda, and refugees’ status is determined by UNHCR. There is no reasonable comparison between the ETM and what is proposed for asylumseekers forcibly sent by the United Kingdom to Rwanda.”
Home Office sources added that last year UNHCR and the EU worked with Rwanda to resettle refugees from Libya there and that UNHCR praised the Rwandan government for offering a welcoming and safe environment to vulnerable people around the world.
A UNHCR UK spokesperson told the Guardian: “Rwanda has generously hosted some 130,000 refugees in recent decades, mostly from neighbouring countries. But those seeking asylum have historically been granted a presumptive (prima facie) legal status – established procedures for individual refugee status determination in Rwanda are minimal. UNHCR holds serious concerns with regard to specific shortcomings of the Rwandan asylum system and Rwanda’s capacity to offer long-term solutions for those being removed under the proposed deal.”
The spokesperson added that the emergency transit mechanism scheme to which the Home Office refers, which evacuates the most vulnerable refugees in Libya to Rwanda, “has vastly different aims and modalities to what is currently being proposed by the UK. Critically, the ETM is an emergency, temporary and voluntary programme – none of which is true of the proposed migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda. The ETM does not involve resettlement or long-term integration in Rwanda, and refugees’ status is determined by UNHCR. There is no reasonable comparison between the ETM and what is proposed for asylumseekers forcibly sent by the United Kingdom to Rwanda.”
The comment about Rwanda offering a welcoming and safe environment was made by a Somali refugee who was staying in Rwanda temporarily after being evacuated from Libya before being resettled elsewhere, rather than by UNHCR.
“I had heard that Rwanda was a safe place and they were welcoming refugees,” the refugee said.
Protests Across UK Oppose ‘Heinous’ Rwanda Migrant Deportation Policy
TEHRAN (FNA)- Campaigners rallied against the Government’s “heinous” policy to send some migrants to Rwanda in a series of protests across the UK.
Protests were due to take place in Cambridge, Cardiff, Coventry, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford and Sheffield, according to Care4Calais – a refugee charity, The Independent reported.
Images on social media also appeared to show people protesting outside Brook House Immigration Removal Centre, by Gatwick Airport, and Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, near Heathrow Airport.
The demonstrations were called as part of the #StopRwanda campaign, launched by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Care4Calais and Stand Up To Racism.
The campaign is backed by 11 trade unions, including the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) – which represents more than 80% of Border Force staff – refugee rights organisations and faith groups.
In April, Home Secretary Priti Patel signed what she branded a “world-first” agreement to send migrants deemed to have arrived in the UK illegally to Rwanda.
Patel says the “vast majority” of those who arrive in the UK through means deemed “illegal” – such as on unauthorised boats or stowed away in lorries – will be considered for relocation.
The first deportation flight – due to take off in June – was grounded amid legal challenges.
A judicial review of the plan was due to be heard on July 19, but charities including Care4Calais and Detention Action – which are bringing the case – said the hearing has been adjourned until September.
All candidates competing to replace Boris Johnson have pledged to keep the Rwanda policy if they become Conservative Party leader.
Clare Moseley, Care4Calais CEO, said, “Many people oppose the shockingly brutal Rwanda plan and we are delighted to see so many of them making their voices heard today."
“We have seen up close the human cost of locking people up and telling them they will be sent to Rwanda," Moseley added.
“From suicide attempts to hunger strikes it was harrowing," she said, adding, “We now have six weeks to show the Government that this cruel plan is not what the British public wants.”
Mark Serwotka, PCS union general secretary, said “It’s time for the Government to show humanity to the people who come to our shores for refuge.”
Weyman Bennett, co-convenor, Stand Up To Racism, criticised the “heinous Rwanda detention policy”.
A Home Office spokesperson said, “We remain committed to our world-leading Migration Partnership with Rwanda, which will see those arriving dangerously, illegally, or unnecessarily into the UK relocated to rebuild their lives there."
“This is vital to prevent loss of life in the Channel and break the business model of people smugglers," the spokesperson added.
“The Government’s New Plan for Immigration is the most comprehensive reform of the asylum system and the Nationality and Borders Act will speed up the removal of those who have no right to be here, preventing abuse and deterring illegal entry to the UK,” the spokesperson said.
TEHRAN (FNA)- Campaigners rallied against the Government’s “heinous” policy to send some migrants to Rwanda in a series of protests across the UK.
Protests were due to take place in Cambridge, Cardiff, Coventry, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford and Sheffield, according to Care4Calais – a refugee charity, The Independent reported.
Images on social media also appeared to show people protesting outside Brook House Immigration Removal Centre, by Gatwick Airport, and Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, near Heathrow Airport.
The demonstrations were called as part of the #StopRwanda campaign, launched by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Care4Calais and Stand Up To Racism.
The campaign is backed by 11 trade unions, including the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) – which represents more than 80% of Border Force staff – refugee rights organisations and faith groups.
In April, Home Secretary Priti Patel signed what she branded a “world-first” agreement to send migrants deemed to have arrived in the UK illegally to Rwanda.
Patel says the “vast majority” of those who arrive in the UK through means deemed “illegal” – such as on unauthorised boats or stowed away in lorries – will be considered for relocation.
The first deportation flight – due to take off in June – was grounded amid legal challenges.
A judicial review of the plan was due to be heard on July 19, but charities including Care4Calais and Detention Action – which are bringing the case – said the hearing has been adjourned until September.
All candidates competing to replace Boris Johnson have pledged to keep the Rwanda policy if they become Conservative Party leader.
Clare Moseley, Care4Calais CEO, said, “Many people oppose the shockingly brutal Rwanda plan and we are delighted to see so many of them making their voices heard today."
“We have seen up close the human cost of locking people up and telling them they will be sent to Rwanda," Moseley added.
“From suicide attempts to hunger strikes it was harrowing," she said, adding, “We now have six weeks to show the Government that this cruel plan is not what the British public wants.”
Mark Serwotka, PCS union general secretary, said “It’s time for the Government to show humanity to the people who come to our shores for refuge.”
Weyman Bennett, co-convenor, Stand Up To Racism, criticised the “heinous Rwanda detention policy”.
A Home Office spokesperson said, “We remain committed to our world-leading Migration Partnership with Rwanda, which will see those arriving dangerously, illegally, or unnecessarily into the UK relocated to rebuild their lives there."
“This is vital to prevent loss of life in the Channel and break the business model of people smugglers," the spokesperson added.
“The Government’s New Plan for Immigration is the most comprehensive reform of the asylum system and the Nationality and Borders Act will speed up the removal of those who have no right to be here, preventing abuse and deterring illegal entry to the UK,” the spokesperson said.
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