Asylum seekers facing remand in Rwanda only have seven days to explain in writing why they should not be deported, documents obtained by ITV News suggest.
People receive a “notice of intent” warning that their decision to travel to a safe country – usually France – before arriving in the UK could make their claim inadmissible.
The latest documents make it clear that people will be penalized for taking risks on their trips to Britain, adding: “If your trip to the UK can be described as dangerous, you may be eligible for relocation.”
The letters show that detainees have seven days to send information, while detainees have 14 days to send information.
After that, their cases may be declared inadmissible. However, it may be some time before flights start flying to Rwanda due to legal challenges.
The letters, seen by ITV News, show that detainees have seven days to send information. Credit: ITV News
Ministers – led by Interior Minister Priti Patel – think that harsh treatment for those arriving by boat from France will deter others, but charities say there is no evidence that the plan is effective.
Asylum seekers then receive information leaflets, one of which is entitled, “I am transferred to Rwanda. What does this mean for me?”
This document contains a map and you start by wondering where Rwanda is? He replies, “Rwanda is in Central Africa. If you look at a map of the world, Rwanda is just south of the equator.”
It also aims to sell Rwanda to private individuals, describing it as “the land of a thousand hills” with an “amazing landscape” and “a wide variety of wildlife and biodiversity”.
A section of the documents received by ITV News will be sent to asylum seekers. Credit: ITV News
The documents were obtained by Lili Donlon Mansbridge, an ITV Peston producer.
Asylum seekers are instructed in another document to state whether they are disabled, pregnant, seriously ill, or have been subjected to torture, rape, or other forms of sexual violence.
However, this does not seem to stop any deportation, as the section adds: “If you provide us with your medical details and it is decided that you will be sent to Rwanda, we will ask your permission to share your medical information with Rwanda.” Lawyers who have seen people receiving these papers said some had not spoken to a legal representative until they arrived at the detained service counseling clinic, where they are assigned a 30-minute space to seek counseling.
The Ministry of the Interior has also not provided a translation of the documents from English.
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The government has argued that the plan to relocate people to Rwanda is a deterrent needed to prevent people from embarking on ships and making scary and risky journeys across the Canal. It is accompanied by legislation criminalizing people who come to Britain by this route.
Interior Minister Priti Patel said: “It is sending a clear signal that those who come to our country illegally will not have the right to remain in our country, and we will use all the tools and all the laws we have in place. our provision for Make sure we can remove them “.
But the scheme has been highly controversial even within the Interior Ministry, where sources told ITV that there was fury among some officials.
We also revealed that Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft had called for a “ministerial direction” to sign the policy, that is, he refused to do so directly because he was not convinced it was good value for money.
He said there was not enough evidence to show that it would act as a deterrent.
ITV News has seen the documents. Credit: ITV News
Many of those receiving these latest documents appear to be from parts of the world that have been severely affected by the war, such as Sudan.
A Sudanese man told the Guardian that it had taken them three years and a journey of more than 5,000 miles to reach the UK after fleeing a massacre in his village.
After crossing the canal by kayak, he was told he could be deported to Rwanda, and said the idea of being returned to the African continent was causing him flashbacks.
“I thought the UK was a good country with a lot of humanity,” he said.
Bethany Gardiner-Smith, executive director of the charity Safe Passage, said: “The idea that vulnerable people who have no previous connection to Rwanda will receive this fragile document and will be told they have seven days to provide evidence of what they shouldn’t do – being sent there is profoundly shocking.
“There is a real likelihood that survivors of torture and trafficking and other refugees could be exported under this scheme and endangered when we should give them a safe haven and a fair hearing.”
While the plan should not apply to unaccompanied children, he said he feared that some would be sent if they could not prove their age quickly enough.
“The British public has shown a willingness to take in refugees in response to Ukraine, and government ministers should listen and learn from this, rather than pursue this cruel and shameful plan.”
The government has argued that a strict response is needed to those who cross the Canal by boat to deter people from trying to make such risky journeys.