UK, Rwanda Sign Updated Agreement on Migrant Relocation
06:53 GMT 19.03.2023 (Updated: 15:26 GMT 28.05.2023)
© AP Photo / Matt DunhamPeople thought to be migrants who undertook the crossing from France in small boats and were picked up in the Channel, arrive to be disembarked from a small transfer boat which ferried them from a larger British border force vessel that didn't come into the port, in Dover, south east England, Friday, June 17, 2022
![People thought to be migrants who undertook the crossing from France in small boats and were picked up in the Channel, arrive to be disembarked from a small transfer boat which ferried them from a larger British border force vessel that didn't come into the port, in Dover, south east England, Friday, June 17, 2022 People thought to be migrants who undertook the crossing from France in small boats and were picked up in the Channel, arrive to be disembarked from a small transfer boat which ferried them from a larger British border force vessel that didn't come into the port, in Dover, south east England, Friday, June 17, 2022 - Sputnik International, 1920, 19.03.2023](https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/06/16/1096550297_0:154:3072:1882_1920x0_80_0_0_197192f42c174fe521d7a1a226d580c2.jpg)
© AP Photo / Matt Dunham
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK Secretary of State for the Home Department Suella Braverman and Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta have signed an update to the controversial bilateral agreement on relocating illegal migrants to the African country, the UK government said.
Earlier this week, media reported that Braverman was set to arrive in Rwanda on March 17 to discuss the implementation of the UK's migration deal signed by her predecessor with the Rwandan authorities that allows deportation of people who came to the UK illegally to the central African country.
"The Home Secretary and Dr Biruta signed an update to the Memorandum of Understanding, expanding the partnership further to all categories of people who pass through safe countries and make illegal and dangerous journeys to the UK," the statement read.
The document helps prepare the United Kingdom to realize the measures proposed in its bill on illegal migration, as it will mean that any person who comes to the UK illegally and who cannot be returned to their home country will be eligible for relocation to Rwanda.
Last week, Braverman presented a bill to parliament that seeks to relocate migrants who came to the UK illegally by boats across the English Channel to a "safe third country" like Rwanda. Asylum in the UK will only be granted in exceptional cases and within a yearly quota.
Braverman's plan has faced serious criticism from both the opposition and various human rights organizations. Some argue that forced relocation will not be effective in preventing the illegal migration to UK, while others say the bill violates human rights.
The first deportation of migrants to Rwanda was planned to take place on June 14, 2022. However, the flight was canceled at the last moment, as the European Court of Human Rights granted a last-minute appeal to all the asylum seekers on board. The UK had reportedly paid Rwanda 120 million pounds ($145 million) for the failed relocation of illegal migrants to the country, and was not happy with the European court's decision.