U.K. shares video of first migrants being detained under Rwanda plan

London — The British authorities released video clips Wednesday of what it said were nan first detentions of migrants successful nan state without support nether a highly arguable new program that intends to deport them to Rwanda. The plan, implemented by nan country's ruling Conservative party, was approved by lawmakers past week aft much than 2 years of governmental wrangling complete its legality.

The video stock online Wednesday by nan Home Office, which oversees each rule enforcement and migration matters successful nan U.K., showed equipped migration officers taking handcuffed individuals from houses into waiting vans. All nan individuals successful nan video, some nan detainees and nan officers, were heavy blurred to obscure their identities.

In a Wednesday statement, U.K. Home Secretary James Cleverly called nan Rwanda argumentation "a pioneering consequence to nan world situation of forbidden migration."

The argumentation was passed into rule past week by nan country's Conservative-controlled parliament contempt antecedently being ruled unlawful by nan U.K. Supreme Court. Under nan plan, asylum seekers arriving connected British shores without anterior support tin beryllium sent to Rwanda to person their applications for asylum processed, and they tin beryllium forbidden from ever returning to nan U.K.

It was crafted respective years agone arsenic nan Conservative government's consequence to rising numbers of migrants and asylum seekers reaching nan U.K. connected mini boats aliases by hanging onto trucks coming from France. It applies to anyone who arrives successful Britain without anterior permission, moreover if their purpose is to declare asylum and they person morganatic grounds to do so.

No formation has departed from nan U.K. to Rwanda carrying group detained nether nan programme yet, and it was unclear erstwhile aliases wherever nan individuals detained successful nan video mightiness person their asylum claims processed, aliases if they had, aliases intended to record specified claims.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak — whose Conservative party appears to beryllium facing decimation successful a wide predetermination this twelvemonth aft much than a decade successful powerfulness — has vowed that nan first planes will time off by nan summer.

"Our dedicated enforcement teams are moving astatine gait to swiftly detain those who person nary correct to beryllium present truthful we tin get flights disconnected nan ground," Cleverly said successful his statement. "This is simply a analyzable portion of work, but we stay perfectly committed to operationalising nan policy, to extremity nan boats and break nan business exemplary of group smuggling gangs."

The Home Office said successful its connection accompanying nan video connected Wednesday that nan detentions were "a cardinal portion of nan scheme to present flights to Rwanda successful nan adjacent 9 to 11 weeks," calling it "yet different awesome milestone successful nan government's wider scheme to extremity mini vessel crossings." 

Sunak's authorities claims nan rule will enactment arsenic a deterrent to anyone who mightiness see trying to participate nan U.K. without documentation. The greeting aft nan authorities was passed past week, 5 group were killed successful a crush connected an overcrowded migrant vessel aft it near a formation successful France to transverse nan English Channel.

A protester holds a placard mocking nan government's Rwanda scheme for asylum seekers during a objection successful Parliament Square, London, March 13, 2024. Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty

The United Nations exile agency UNHCR and nan International Rescue Committee kindness person some condemned nan policy, arguing that it breaches Britain's world obligations nether aggregate treaties connected quality authorities and nan authorities of asylum seekers.

"The government's move to detain group is causing fear, distress and awesome worry amongst men, women and children who person fled warfare and persecution to scope information successful nan U.K.," Enver Solomon, main executive of nan Refugee Council, was quoted arsenic saying Wednesday by CBS News' partner web BBC News.

He said nan authorities should attraction connected processing asylum claims "efficiently and fairly," alternatively than what he called "headline-grabbing schemes that will discarded clip and resources."

To date, nan BBC says Britain's authorities has paid Rwanda nan balanced of much than $300 cardinal to money nan program, contempt nary flights having departed nether it.

While nan U.K. is spending an estimated $8 cardinal per time presently to location nan migrants who get without support successful Britain, nan government's own costs appraisal past summer wished that each individual lawsuit handled nether nan Rwanda deportation programme would costs taxpayers astir $86,000 much than lodging nan personification successful Britain.

CBS News' Haley Ott and Tucker Reals contributed to this report.

In:
• Immigration
• Rishi Sunak
• Rwanda
• Britain
• Refugee
• Asylum Seekers
• Migrants
• United Kingdom