The UK government confirmed Wednesday it has detained an unspecified number of migrants in recent days who are set to be deported to Rwanda in July under its controversial new policy.
This comes a week after lawmakers ended months of parliamentary wrangling and passed a contentious law allowing some asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had vowed to promptly detain migrants before deportation flights start within “10 to 12 weeks”. According to AFP, Immigration enforcement officers have begun detaining migrants earmarked for the flights, with plans to deport 5,700 migrants to Rwanda this year. Despite the government’s efforts, official statistics show a more than a quarter increase in arrivals compared to the same period in 2023.
