Home Office to detain asylum seekers across UK in shock Rwanda operation

[Still Waters]

The Home Office will launch a surprise operation to detain asylum seekers across the UK on Monday in preparation for their deportation to Rwanda weeks earlier than expected, the Guardian can reveal.

Officials plan to hold refugees who turn up for routine meetings at immigration service offices and will also pick people up nationwide in a major 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 flights to Rwanda, including the first one due to take off this summer. Others identified for these flights are already being held.

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

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/28/home-office-to-detain-asylum-seekers-across-uk-in-shock-rwanda-operation

[MrsGently]

11 minutes ago, Still Waters said:

...

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

...

well delivered on his claims is what I'd have said. Good for him.

[Oniomancer]

At least they'll get the ones that don't read the Guardian.

[Duke Wellington]

3 hours ago, Oniomancer said:

At least they'll get the ones that don't read the Guardian.

Now thats an interesting point, surely it would make sense to only deport those ones unlikely to vote Tory.