Bulletin No.19

Bulletin No 19

Discussion: The Rwanda Asylum Plan

On April 14th this year, the government announced a new migration scheme. Individuals entering the UK without a visa or travel permission are to be sent to Rwanda to have their asylum claim processed and decided there. As per this scheme, if the government believes that an individual has travelled through other countries before reaching the UK, the government may decide that their asylum claim is ‘inadmissable’, and instead deport them via a one-way flight to Rwanda. Those who are deemed to have admissible reasons to seek asylum will be given permission to live in Rwanda rather than being returned to the UK.

Home Secretary Priti Patel closed this deal with the Rwandan government in confidence that this plan would allow the government to “do the right thing”, citing the issue of human trafficking as a large factor in the adoption of this scheme. She elaborated in the House of Commons, “We will not stand idly by and let organised crime gangs, who are despicable in their nature and their conduct, evil people, treat human beings as cargo.” Moreover, there has been a clear intention by the government on granting ‘proper’ refugees (that is, individuals fleeing hardship) asylum rather than hosting economic migrants who have paid to be smuggled overseas within the UK.

WHAT ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS?

The government’s plan has been met with hostility both by human rights groups, and the European Court of Human Rights. The first deportation flight was cancelled by the court where an Iraqi asylum seeker was considered at-risk of torture.

Moreover, the Refugee Rights Director of Amnesty International issued a statement against the deportation of already-marginalised individuals, particularly drawing attention to the “huge cost to the taxpayer” and “terrible anxiety to the people stuck in the backlogs”. As well as being an expensive plan, there is also a concern that migrants deported as a result of this scheme could be placed in danger.

The scheme has also been criticised for failing to curb the influx of people being smuggled into the UK; since signing, 11,827 asylum seekers have arrived into the UK by dangerous means, suggesting that the plan is doing very little for human rights. The Home Affairs Committee similarly found that there was “no clear evidence” that the UK’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda would stop risky Channel crossings.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

Due to the potential threat to human rights within the UK, several asylum seekers, the PCS union and charities including Care4Calais and Detention Action are challenging the legality of the policy, with court hearings set for September and October.

Charity Spotlight: Refugee Action

Refugee Action is an independent national charity supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the UK, and campaigns for a fairer asylum system. Founded in 1981, their ethos is that everyone who has had to flee their home deserved to live again. They believe that refugees should “get justice, live free of poverty, and be able to successfully rebuild their lives.” From 2019-20, they helped 875 refugees rebuild their lives, supported 15,000 individuals to join campaign actions, and helped over 3000 people access housing.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Opportunities within refugee action

Campaign for refugee rights with Refugee Action

Read and share real-life refugee stories in their online refugee choices gallery

Find out more about hosting and helping asylum seekers in your home

You can find out more on their website: www.refugee-action.org.uk/about/jobs_at_refugee_action/

Internal and External Opportunities

Internal opportunities:

Society Mixer: meet with society members at the Hive in the SU building on 29th September from 5:00-6:30pm

You can learn more on the LWOB x UoM instagram: @uom_lwob

External Opportunities:

Refugees at Home

Refugees at Home is a UK charity which connects those with a spare room in their home to refugees and asylum seekers in need of somewhere to stay.

So far it has been responsible for placing 2,922 guests with a total of 234,484 placement nights. For people who need a sofa bed to sleep on for the night, this can be invaluable, and a great opportunity for those invested in refugee action.

You can learn more about Refugees at Home here: www.refugeesathome.org