Media reports UK contemplates large-scale deportations raids
Date
4/29/2024 5:40:45 AM
(MENAFN) In a move stirring controversy and concern, the United Kingdom Home Office is reportedly gearing up for a large-scale deportation sweep targeting illegal immigrants, with plans to send them to Rwanda. The Guardian revealed on Sunday that the operation, slated to unfold nationwide over a two-week period, follows the recent passage of legislation enabling the scheme.
According to sources cited by the newspaper, law enforcement authorities will detain migrants at various immigration services meetings, bail hearings, and through surprise raids conducted across the country. Once apprehended, individuals will be held in specialized detention centers in anticipation of the first deportation flights to Rwanda, scheduled to commence later this summer.
While the Home Office refrained from confirming specific details of the operation, it acknowledged that preparations were underway for the ambitious deportation plan. The government anticipates detaining individuals in readiness for the inaugural flight to Rwanda, slated to depart within the next 10 to 12 weeks.
The controversial initiative stems from a five-year agreement forged between Britain and Rwanda in April 2022, aimed at rerouting asylum seekers who entered the United Kingdom illegally to the African nation pending the processing of their claims. However, legal hurdles emerged when the European Court of Human Rights intervened to halt the initial deportation flight two months later, followed by a subsequent ruling from the United Kingdom's Supreme Court deeming the scheme unlawful in November.
In a bid to circumvent legal barriers, parliament recently passed the Safety of Rwanda Act, providing the necessary legal framework for deportation flights to proceed. Nonetheless, pro-immigration NGOs have signaled their intent to challenge the detentions through legal avenues, while activists are poised to mobilize protests in affected areas.
Expressing grave concerns, Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, denounced the deportation plan as "inhumane," warning of the impending "chaos and human misery" it could inflict upon immigrant communities. As tensions escalate and legal battles loom, the fate of those targeted for deportation hangs in the balance, amid broader debates over immigration policy and human rights in the United Kingdom.
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