Easy fix, just have parliament vote that they didn’t.
Not the gotcha you think it is. UK accepts asylum seekers from Kuwait, UAE and other *extremely* safe countries.
Asylum is a funny thing, look at Julian Asange, why they are seeking asylum is the important bit.
Hahahaha. This is brilliant. If true – and I’ve no reason to doubt the story – it sums up just how shambolic the Home Office is (as if more evidence were needed).
Given the UK’s mad commitment to Rwanda the HO should have implemented a “Reject all Rwandan applicants” policy. Lose the files. Kick the cases into the long grass. By approving these applications the HO has, potentially, caused Sunak and this mad policy’s supporters a world of hurt. They’re all fucking useless – Cabinet, MPs, HO and a number of civil servants.
BTW, I’ve no problem with extra-territorial processing for would-be immigrants. But the UK’s approach on this one – as is true with anything immigration-related stretching back decades now – is absolute rubbish.
BTW, it makes me wonder if these approvals were the work of HO civil servants who, being opposed to the Rwanda policy, approved these applications knowing that if the news broke, it would undermine the government’s position. It will be interesting to see what consequences follow.
>One of the Rwandans was granted asylum by the Home Office on 12 October, the day after the government concluded a case in the supreme court arguing the country was safe.
>The refugee was a supporter of an opposition party led by Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, who is campaigning for justice for colleagues who have been killed or disappeared. The Rwandan also witnessed alleged atrocities committed by president Paul Kagame’s forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
>He and his wife were granted asylum with the Home Office stating in a letter: “We accept that you have a well-founded fear of persecution and therefore cannot return to your country Rwanda, and we have recognised that you are a refugee under the 1951 Refugee Convention.”
>The refugee, who still fears for his safety, said: “Britain should stop pretending this is a safe place. Find some other excuse for sending people to Rwanda but don’t say it’s because the place is ‘safe’, because that’s just insulting to people like me.”
>Another Rwandan refugee who has spoken on the grounds of anonymity said he sought refuge in the UK because he feared he would be targeted by the regime over a family member’s suspected links to the opposition.
>A Home Office decision letter dated 17 October 2023 accepted he had a “well-founded fear of persecution”. The Rwandan said refugees sent to his country would be safe if they keep their head down and did not criticise the government, but if they started speaking out they would get into trouble.
>He said: “If that were to happen in Rwanda, then you’re treading a very fine line. Anything can happen to you. It doesn’t really take much in Rwanda. Even the mere suspicion of being sympathetic to the opposition is enough. People have died for much, much less, they have been imprisoned for much, much less.”
>Another asylum seeker from the African state was a woman who was being forced by the regime to work for the Rwandan intelligence. She was granted asylum on 24 November, according to information by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, an organisation supporting people subject to immigration control.
As some have said above, there’s no “safe” country for asylum purposes. Each case rests on its individual merits and the UK does get applications from places that are pretty unexpected.
7 comments
Easy fix, just have parliament vote that they didn’t.
Not the gotcha you think it is. UK accepts asylum seekers from Kuwait, UAE and other *extremely* safe countries.
Asylum is a funny thing, look at Julian Asange, why they are seeking asylum is the important bit.
Hahahaha. This is brilliant. If true – and I’ve no reason to doubt the story – it sums up just how shambolic the Home Office is (as if more evidence were needed).
Given the UK’s mad commitment to Rwanda the HO should have implemented a “Reject all Rwandan applicants” policy. Lose the files. Kick the cases into the long grass. By approving these applications the HO has, potentially, caused Sunak and this mad policy’s supporters a world of hurt. They’re all fucking useless – Cabinet, MPs, HO and a number of civil servants.
BTW, I’ve no problem with extra-territorial processing for would-be immigrants. But the UK’s approach on this one – as is true with anything immigration-related stretching back decades now – is absolute rubbish.
BTW, it makes me wonder if these approvals were the work of HO civil servants who, being opposed to the Rwanda policy, approved these applications knowing that if the news broke, it would undermine the government’s position. It will be interesting to see what consequences follow.
>One of the Rwandans was granted asylum by the Home Office on 12 October, the day after the government concluded a case in the supreme court arguing the country was safe.
>The refugee was a supporter of an opposition party led by Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, who is campaigning for justice for colleagues who have been killed or disappeared. The Rwandan also witnessed alleged atrocities committed by president Paul Kagame’s forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
>He and his wife were granted asylum with the Home Office stating in a letter: “We accept that you have a well-founded fear of persecution and therefore cannot return to your country Rwanda, and we have recognised that you are a refugee under the 1951 Refugee Convention.”
>The refugee, who still fears for his safety, said: “Britain should stop pretending this is a safe place. Find some other excuse for sending people to Rwanda but don’t say it’s because the place is ‘safe’, because that’s just insulting to people like me.”
>Another Rwandan refugee who has spoken on the grounds of anonymity said he sought refuge in the UK because he feared he would be targeted by the regime over a family member’s suspected links to the opposition.
>A Home Office decision letter dated 17 October 2023 accepted he had a “well-founded fear of persecution”. The Rwandan said refugees sent to his country would be safe if they keep their head down and did not criticise the government, but if they started speaking out they would get into trouble.
>He said: “If that were to happen in Rwanda, then you’re treading a very fine line. Anything can happen to you. It doesn’t really take much in Rwanda. Even the mere suspicion of being sympathetic to the opposition is enough. People have died for much, much less, they have been imprisoned for much, much less.”
>Another asylum seeker from the African state was a woman who was being forced by the regime to work for the Rwandan intelligence. She was granted asylum on 24 November, according to information by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, an organisation supporting people subject to immigration control.
A link from the article:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/02/23/rwanda-year-no-justice-refugee-killings
Follow the money.
As some have said above, there’s no “safe” country for asylum purposes. Each case rests on its individual merits and the UK does get applications from places that are pretty unexpected.