Britain to start detaining asylum seekers from Monday, according to reports

Officials plan to hold refugees who turn up for routine meetings at immigration service offices and will also pick people up nationwide in a two-week exercise

Sun, 28 Apr, 2024 - 12:39

Sean Murray, Severin Carrell and Rajeev Syal

Britain's Home Office is to launch a surprise operation to detain asylum seekers across the UK on Monday in preparation for deportation to Rwanda, weeks earlier than expected, the Guardian has reported.

Officials plan to hold refugees who turn up for routine meetings at immigration service offices and will also pick people up nationwide in a two-week exercise.

They will be immediately transferred to detention centres, which have already been prepared for the operation, and held to be put on later flights to Rwanda. Others identified for these flights are already being held.

It is thought the launch of the operation has been timed to coincide with Thursday’s local council elections in England, to boost British prime minister Rishi Sunak’s claims he is cracking down on illegal migration.

Sunak said last week the first flights to Rwanda would take off in “10 to 12 weeks” after the government forced its controversial bill legalising the flights through Westminster.

Police in Scotland have been put on alert because of the high risks of street protests and attempts by pro-refugee campaigners to stop detentions.

Here, the Cabinet is set to discuss new emergency laws next week that would see the Government able to send asylum seekers back to the UK.

The meeting on Tuesday will see the issue discussed alongside amendments to existing law regarding the designation of safe “third countries” after Justice Minister Helen McEntee recently said that 80% of asylum applicants come to Ireland over the border with Northern Ireland.

It also comes after Mr Sunak said that claims that his government’s Rwanda plan is causing an influx of migrants into Ireland show its deterrent effect is working.

“The deterrent is … already having an impact because people are worried about coming here,” the British Prime Minister said.

Earlier this week, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said the UK’s asylum policy is driving migrants in fear of being deported to Rwanda across the border from Northern Ireland into Ireland.

And, on Saturday evening, a spokesperson for the Taoiseach said Simon Harris “doesn’t comment on the migration policies of any other country”, but indicated that changes to Ireland’s existing legislation were in the works.

The “safe countries” list is part of a process for consideration of asylum applications. While asylum seekers may travel from countries deemed safe, there are still cases where applicants can show their personal circumstances mean their country is not safe for them.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach said: “Ireland has a rules-based system that must always be applied firmly and fairly. In that context, the Taoiseach has asked the Minister for Justice to bring proposals to Cabinet next week to amend existing law regarding the designation of safe ‘third countries’ and allowing the return of inadmissible international protection applicants to the UK.

“This is one of a number of measures we are taking to strengthen our system and ensure that it is strong, effective and agile. Rules and the integrity of our migration system will be to the fore of our actions.” The issue is also set to be discussed between Ms McEntee and her British counterpart on Monday.