The Home Office and UK government policy concerning asylum seekers/Rwanda deportations

[teqniq]

I've been mulling over creating a thread specific to this issue for a while now because it's not just about the 'stupidity' of Patel is it? It's more than that. This government is very obviously specifically pandering to racists and the Home Office whilst it has some good people working in it could easily be seen as institutionally racist itself. The whole sordid spectacle of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda is just the latest iteration of their attempts to to appeal to the lowest common denominator. If the government really wanted to address the issue of people smugglers they could provide legal safe routes for asylums seekers; it would close down the smuggling operations overnight. But of course they will not do this, they have absolutely zero intention of doing anything of the sort.

I'd like this to be a resource thread as well as a discussion and with this in mind, here's some links to organisations that are fighting the current situation in court (they lost yesterday but have been given the right of appeal and the hearing is on Monday):

Fight the government's plan to send refugees to Rwanda

Freedom from Torture is a UK registered charity who supports torture survivors to recover and rebuild their lives in the UK, and campaigns alongside them for change.

www.crowdjustice.com

Home - Detention Action

We support people in immigration detention We campaign for a just immigration system We run lived experience networks About Detention...

detentionaction.org.uk

Access team caseworker

The Care4Calais access team helps refugees by finding them legal aid solicitors, helping them with their paperwork and supporting them through the complex asylum process. With the introduction of the

care4calais.enthuse.com

Asylum Aid | Protection from Persecution

www.asylumaid.org.uk

also some latest news, the UN belatedly steps into the picture:

UN joins battle to stop Rwanda migrant flight

 

[teqniq]

As has been previously posted elsewhere on here, the appeal was lost yesterday. However three more people are planning legal challenges today before the flight is due to leave:

Rwanda asylum plan: Final legal challenges to be heard before flight

Three more people try to block their deportation before the flight takes off on Tuesday evening.

www.bbc.com

This is just so much bullshit:

The flight is likely to cost more than £500,000, but ministers say it will disrupt the business of traffickers.....
....Pressing ahead with the policy of transporting asylum seekers to the east African nation would "break the business model of vile people smugglers" and "ultimately save lives", a spokesman said.

also notice the choice of words here:

"But having lost repeatedly in court, campaigners and opponent lawyers will be doing everything possible, exploiting every loophole, throwing in every spurious and meritless claim, to get their client dragged off the flight today," the source said.

It has become evident, to me at least that there are some very unpleasant people in charge right now, people who should have absolutely no business being allowed anywhere near the levers of power.

 

[tommers]

We're combating people traffickers by trafficking people.

We've always been at war with Eurasia.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

They keep repeating a lie and are never taken up on it; the policy is to smash the evil people smugglers.

The policy still permits people smugglers to smuggle people to the U.K., only once here will they be shipped to Africa.

 

[bimble]

Tried earlier to find out what the actual deal is with the Rwandan government, what are we paying them . Can’t find any solid info which is just so dodgy in itself. All that’s clear is that a big whack of the international aid budget has gone to ‘the economic development of Rwanda’ this year. Whole thing is just shameful.

 

[teqniq]

Tried earlier to find out what the actual deal is with the Rwandan government, what are we paying them . Can’t find any solid info which is just so dodgy in itself. All that’s clear is that a big whack of the international aid budget has gone to ‘the economic development of Rwanda’ this year. Whole thing is just shameful.

Here you go:

UK’s Patel defends immigration deal with Rwanda

British Home Secretary Priti Patel continued to defend the United Kingdom's decision to send immigrants to Rwanda, a deal that's come under deep criticism for essentially outsourcing its responsibilit...

africatimes.com

...Patel announced the deal last Thursday after striking the agreement with Rwandan foreign minister Vincent Biruta. The agreement, for which Patel signed a “ministerial direction” executive order, will be backed by £120 million in economic development funds for Rwanda and another £50 million in equipment and logistics, including new boats, aerial surveillance and military experts....

 

[bimble]

Found it

Memorandum of Understanding between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the government of the Republic of Rwanda for the provision of an asylum partnership arrangement

www.gov.uk

 

[teqniq]

Absolute scum:

 

[bimble]

Here you go:

UK’s Patel defends immigration deal with Rwanda

British Home Secretary Priti Patel continued to defend the United Kingdom's decision to send immigrants to Rwanda, a deal that's come under deep criticism for essentially outsourcing its responsibilit...

africatimes.com

The money side still totally obscure.
That mentioned there is apparently from the aid budget. That’s not supposed to be home office money.
And the wording of the published deal just says this!

 

[teqniq]

bimble this is interesting. Particularly in respect of the Memorandum of understanding that you have linked to. It would appear the lords have questions:

Call for Evidence UK-Rwanda Memorandum of Understanding

 

[bimble]

It’s a really odd document.
One bit I’d not heard of is that UK agrees to take some of rwandas “most vulnerable” refugees, as part of the agreement.
Probably on the return trip of same flights ?
Like a prisoner exchange.

 

[tommers]

It’s a really odd document.
One bit I’d not heard of is that UK agrees to take some of rwandas “most vulnerable” refugees, as part of the agreement.
Probably on the return trip of same flights ?
Like a prisoner exchange.

Yeah, that's the bit that all the flag shaggers probably don't know about.

 

[eatmorecheese]

It’s a really odd document.
One bit I’d not heard of is that UK agrees to take some of rwandas “most vulnerable” refugees, as part of the agreement.
Probably on the return trip of same flights ?
Like a prisoner exchange.

I suspect it's just a little quid pro quo, inserted to make it look reciprocal when in fact the deal is cash, paid direct to Kagame or his cronies. They lie so easily.

 

[A380]

I recently swapped from the FDA to the PCS ( for reasons) but glad that my union is one of the parties in challenging this amoral fuckwittery in court.

 

[bimble]

the actual logistics of it are mind boggling aside from everything else.
And WhatTF happens to people who say no thanks i dont want to claim asylum in Rwanda.

All it says in that agreement is that Rwanda should
"provide adequate support and accommodation for the Relocated Individual’s health and security until such a time as their status is regularised or they leave or are removed from Rwanda."

 

[eatmorecheese]

I may be completely wrong here, but a memorandum of understanding is just a cursory agreement subject to change and alteration prior to something more formal?

If so, I'd judge that these refugees are being cast into some sort of nasty limbo.

I haven't been following this as closely as I should so open to being corrected on this.

 

[teqniq]

Racists/xenophobes are crawling out of the woodwork over this. They seem to regard the government's attitude as a green light to say things openly that were previously beyond acceptable and still are imo, but they nevertheless seemed to be emboldened. Firstly there was a slew of 'about time' and 'wonderful news' and similar over the failure of the court cases and now this:

 

[teqniq]

Will it fly or won't it? In any event, judges seem to be rather hard-nosed:

No10 say Rwanda removal flight might not go ahead tonight due to legal fights

After ministers vowed the flight would go ahead, Boris Johnson's official spokesman said he couldn't be 'definitive' about the flight - which was set to cost hundreds of thousands and have only a few asylum seekers on board

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[teqniq]

Truss making 'untrue statements'? Shurely not?

UN refugee chief accuses Truss of ‘untrue’ statements on Rwanda policy

Filippo Grandi says foreign secretary is wrong to claim critics had not offered alternatives

www.theguardian.com

also Johnson with predictable dogwhistle shite:

Lawyers ‘abetting’ criminal gangs with Rwanda flight appeals, says Boris Johnson

 

[not a trot]

Truss making 'untrue statements'? Shurely not?

UN refugee chief accuses Truss of ‘untrue’ statements on Rwanda policy

Filippo Grandi says foreign secretary is wrong to claim critics had not offered alternatives

www.theguardian.com

also Johnson with predictable dogwhistle shite:

Lawyers ‘abetting’ criminal gangs with Rwanda flight appeals, says Boris Johnson

Language intended to whip up more hatred.

 

[MrCurry]

For those who do clear the required hurdles and who are ultimately granted asylum, I wonder what this experience will do to their relationship with the U.K. and how it will affect the contribution they make, or could have made without having been given such a hostile “welcome”?

I wonder how many who might’ve been the U.K.‘s strongest advocates and devoted, indebted & grateful workers in the future might instead become embittered and fail to integrate into society? Treating people like shit when they first show up, hopeful and optimistic, might have very negative long term consequences, and all just to give a little poll boost to the Tories from the Daily Mail reading classes.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Seems that there may be just 8 people going. Are they chartering a plane just for that, or are they on the Rwanda Air flight at 1745 today? If the latter, it stops in Brussels, they should get off there and claim asylum...

 

[2hats]

Johnson monster thread, post #19097.

 

[teqniq]

Seems that there may be just 8 people going. Are they chartering a plane just for that, or are they on the Rwanda Air flight at 1745 today? If the latter, it stops in Brussels, they should get off there and claim asylum...

According to this tweet it's down to 7 passengers:



and according to this it's costing taxpayers:

Ex-ethics adviser quit over Boris Johnson’s ‘readiness to break law’ - live

Lord Geidt said he was not prepared to endorse the government’s openness to breaking international law

www.independent.co.uk

But really if it was about cost-effectiveness it would never happen in the first place, rather it's about appealing to the more extreme sectors of the vermin and their attendant knuckle-draggers.

 

[Dystopiary]

Sorry, didn't see this thread earlier.


Freedom from Torture were at the airline (Privilege Style)'s Majorca HQ:

Freedom from Torture twitter link

The airline still has their twitter account locked.

Petition to airlines:
https://secure.freedomfromtorture.org/page/107146/action/1

change petition still up:
Sign the Petition

 

[srb7677]

it's about appealing to the more extreme sectors of the vermin and their attendant knuckle-draggers.

Indeed, that is exactly what this is about. Dog whistling of the worst kind.

The racist vote that was building a head of steam behind the BNP a couple of decades back, which then swung en masse behind UKIP as Farage played the anti-immigrant card, eventually switched to the Tories to "get Brexit done". It is these whom the Tories are pandering to with this Rwanda nonsense. Sending them "back" to Africa has always been the racists' wet dream. The Tories clearly want to keep these racist scum bags on board.

It is all about the optics. However atrocious this is and looks to decent people, they know this looks good to the knuckle dragging fraternity.

 

[bimble]

it is basically a ukip government we have.

 

[teqniq]

Last minute reprieve for one person:

 

[bimble]

was just thinking, how crazy that its down to lawyers to do this but also respect where due they have done amazing.
130 people were supposed to be on this flight today and looks like 124 (?) of them have been 'saved' by lawyers taking on the government.

 

[teqniq]

Protestors block road near Colnbrook detention centre. More pics in thread. They are also claiming that their tactics helped give the above legal team time to get an injunction. I have absolutely no idea how true that is likely to be: