British authorities have begun detaining migrants for deportation to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks, the government said Wednesday, setting the stage for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's flagship immigration policy.
Parliament passed legislation last month to allow refugees seeking asylum in Rwanda to be deported if they arrive in the UK without permission. Sunak, who is expected to call an election later this year in which illegal immigration will play a major role, wants flights to take off from July.
More than 7,500 migrants have arrived in the UK in small boats from France so far this year. The government says the new law will prevent people from making the dangerous journey across the English Channel. 5 people died trying to cross last week.
Footage released by the UK Home Office on Wednesday showed one man being loaded into a van by immigration officers and another being led away from his home in handcuffs.
“Our dedicated teams are working to arrest those who have no right to be here as soon as possible so we can get the planes off the ground,” Interior Minister James Wise said in a statement on Wednesday.
A union representing public servants ordered to help implement the policy said it filed a legal challenge because its members could be led to violate international law.
“Civil servants should never be forced to conflict between ministerial instructions and adherence to the Civil Service Code, but that is what the government has decided to do,” said Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union. .
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