Despite cops killing 12 Congolese refugees in 2018, Suella Braverman claims Rwanda is safe for migrants.
If migrants enter the UK illegally, the government intends to transfer them to Rwanda.
According to Ms. Braverman, the High Court declared Rwanda to be secure.
She acknowledged, however, that the plans still faced legal obstacles.
She refused to set a deadline for the government’s goal of stopping small boats from crossing the Channel.
And it was notable that Ms. Braverman did not reiterate her previously stated goal of reducing legal immigration to below 100,000 per year – not least because there is discord in the cabinet over what is achievable.
The government wants to send illegal immigrants to Rwanda for refuge.
The High Court ruled in December that the proposal was legal, but the decision is currently being appealed.
Ms. Braverman was questioned about evidence from the United Nations refugee agency from 2018 that a group of Congolese refugees was shot during protests against food ration cutbacks.
“That could be 2018; we’re looking at 2023 and beyond,” the home secretary said after watching the aftermath film.
“The High Court, comprised of senior expert judges, has examined the specifics of our agreement with Rwanda and determined that it is a secure country and that our agreement is legal.”
She added that Rwanda “has a track record of effectively resettling and integrating refugees and asylum-seekers.”
She stated that the government’s legislation allowed individuals to contest the decision to transfer them to Rwanda in “extreme circumstances” of “unforeseeable, serious, and irreversible harm.”
The Rwandan government said the 2018 police actions were a last option due to protest violence.
A Home Office source told several newspapers last month that Rwanda flights would begin this summer.
However, the government has not publicly committed to a timeframe.
Ms. Braverman stated that she believed the Rwanda policy would have a “significant deterrent effect” so that fewer individuals would cross the English Channel to enter the United Kingdom.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made the elimination of small boat crossings a top priority, and he will be under pressure to demonstrate progress before the next general election, which must be held by January 2025.
The home secretary refused to commit to a date for attaining this objective.
She said she wanted to keep the promise as soon as possible. But the government had no power over the Rwanda policy legal challenge.
Ms. Braverman stated, “There is a hearing later this month, and we must await the court’s judgment. I cannot control court dates, so we must follow them.”
Lisa Nandy, the shadow communities secretary for Labour, referred to the Rwanda policy as “a con ploy perpetrated on the British people” because it would likely never materialize.
She said it cost the government “a huge quantity of money and hasn’t seen a single person go to Rwanda.”
According to the Liberal Democrats, Ms. Braverman’s remarks demonstrated that the Rwanda proposal was “impractical” and “on hold.”
New laws require the home minister to detain and deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda or another “secure” third country.
People expelled from the United Kingdom would not be permitted to return or pursue British citizenship in the future.
The legislation is presently making its way through Parliament, but it still needs to be approved by MPs and peers.
It may take months to pass due to House of Lords resistance.
Ms. Braverman stated in October 2017 that her “ultimate ambition” was to reduce net migration – the difference between the number of people entering and departing the United Kingdom – to the tens of thousands.
When repeatedly asked if she still desired for this to occur, she responded, “I support our manifesto commitment to reduce overall migration, including legal migration.”
She added that the high number of people working and studying in the UK strains homes, schools, and healthcare.
These are reasonable concerns, and we must ensure that we strike the right balance between encouraging our domestic workforce to return to the labor market and allowing those highly skilled workers, those people who will come and help various sectors of our economy flourish,” she said.
