UK, RWANDA EYE FIRST MIGRANT FLIGHTS WITHIN WEEKS. (PHOTO).
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UK, Rwanda eye first migrant flights within weeks
The UK and Rwanda say they expect that the first group of asylum seekers bound for Rwanda under a migrant deal between the two countries will be flown to Rwanda in a few weeks' time.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street in London Tuesday. The meeting comes as Britain's Conservative government is pushing ahead with controversial proposals to deter small migrant boats from crossing the Channel by deporting some asylum seekers to the East African nation.
Channel arrivals of undocumented migrants on small boats to the UK hit a record in the first quarter of 2024, with a nearly 42 percent rise over last year, the interior ministry said Monday.
British officials said they processed 5,373 migrants landing on the shores of southeast England in the first three months of the year.
This compares to 3,793 making the perilous journey from January to March in 2023 — a 41.7 percent rise and the highest figure ever for the opening quarter of any year.
Nearly 800 arrived on 16 small boats over just the Easter weekend.
The British government has been trying to stop undocumented migrants from reaching the country via the Channel. Plans to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda were blocked by the UK’s Supreme Court citing safety fears but the government has introduced legislation to override that by declaring Rwanda safe and agreeing on a new treaty with the east African country. Flights could take off within months if lawmakers approve the draft law in the coming weeks.
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