U.K. Warns Illegal Immigrants They Will Soon be Deported to Rwanda
Much-maligned ‘Rwanda Plan’ allows for asylum-seekers arriving in the U.K. via illegal routes to be flown to central Africa for resettlement regardless of their country of origin.

The United Kingdom, in search of novel ways to deter illegal immigration, began informing some asylum seekers this week that if caught, they will soon be repatriated not to their country of origin but to Rwanda.
Under an agreement dubbed a Migration and Economic Development Partnership, the central African republic has agreed to process and resettle the immigrants in exchange for millions of dollars in economic aid.
In a speech announcing the agreement in April, the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, waxed proud about the country’s long history of legal immigration but said a parallel, illegal system has emerged that is taxing the country beyond its limits and putting immigrants’ lives in danger.
“Uncontrolled immigration creates unmanageable demands on our [National Health Service] and our welfare state, it over stretches our local schools, our housing and public transport,” Mr. Johnson said. “Nor is it fair on those who are seeking to come here legally, if others can just bypass the system.”
Mr. Johnson said anyone arriving in the country via “illegal, dangerous or unnecessary methods” — primarily from France by boat or smuggled in trucks — would be subject to expulsion.
When they were announced, the measures prompted howls of protest from the likes of the United Nations, the Church of England, and immigrant advocacy groups. They were described as inhumane and in violation of international treaties regarding the treatment of refugees.
A senior legal officer for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Larry Bottinick, expressed “serious concerns” about the scheme.
“There will be issues as basic as interpretation for Vietnamese and Albanian speakers,” Mr. Bottinick said in a statement. “The main arrivals to the UK also include Iranians, Iraqis and Syrians. We have serious concerns about Rwanda’s capacity to integrate these groups.”
The number of people arriving in the U.K. by boat from Europe via the English Channel has been steadily increasing in recent years. Last year, the number of persons intercepted by authorities soared to more than 28,000 from just over 8,000 in 2020. That number is expected to increase even more this year.
Three-fourth of those making the crossing last year were young men, according to Home Office figures. Half of those were from Iran and Iraq, with 11 percent coming from Eritrea and 9 percent from Syria.
As part of the five-year deal with Rwanda, the U.K. has agreed to invest about $150 million into economic growth schemes as well as pay the cost of transporting and settling the migrants in the landlocked country. In exchange, Rwanda has agreed to take full responsibility for the applicants and allow them equal access to employment and services.
Currently, asylum seekers who reach U.K. soil, along with their spouses and dependents under the age of 18, are allowed to remain while caseworkers investigate their claims. The process is supposed to take six months but often lasts longer.
The process of so-called offshoring immigrants has been tried before, with limited success. Australia helped build refugee processing centers on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and the Republic of Nauru in 2001 as part of what was dubbed the Pacific Solution.
The camp on Manus Island was closed in 2021 after the country’s supreme court ruled it “illegal,” but the one in Nauru remains operational with about 100 refugees.
Israel has also tried, launching a program in 2015 that allowed migrants from Sudan and Eritrea to “voluntarily” relocate to Uganda or Rwanda in exchange for $3,000 and a plane ticket.
In the EU, Denmark has also been talking to Rwanda. The two countries signed a three-year memorandum of understanding last year and talks are said to be ongoing on how to implement it. If successful, Denmark would become the first European Union country to try such a scheme.
So far, no one has been deported in such a manner from either the U.K. or Denmark. Even government officials admit that, given the inevitable lawsuits and protests, the flights may never happen. They insist the mere threat, however, may deter would-be refugees from attempting an illegal entry.
“This is just the first stage of the process and we know it will take time as some will seek to frustrate the process and delay removals,” the home secretary, Priti Patel, said. “I will not be deterred from acting to deliver on the changes the British people voted for to take back control of our money, laws and borders.”