Next week, the UK government is expected to announce plans to ban migrants who arrive in the country illegally by boat from claiming asylum, paving the way for their relocation abroad, British media have reported.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman is set to introduce new legislation regarding the small boat arrivals on Tuesday.
As this spring's anticipated surge in arrivals draws near, No 10 reportedly wants laws that will allow it to deport illegal migrants to a "safe" third country such as Rwanda "as soon as reasonably practicable" and prevent them permanently from returning.
Downing Street’s plans come as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to "stop the boats once and for all". In an apparent message to migrants, he warned, "Make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay."
"Illegal migration is not fair on British taxpayers, it is not fair on those who come here legally and it is not right that criminal gangs should be allowed to continue their immoral trade. I am determined to deliver on my promise to stop the boats," the British prime minister pointed out.
Sunak has made stopping the migrant boats one of his priorities, since a record 45,756 people came ashore in the country after crossing the English Channel in 2022, up 60% from the previous year, according to government statistics.
In April 2022, the UK clinched a deal with Rwanda, which stipulates that illegal migrants arriving in Britain via the English Channel are due to be sent to the East African nation, where their asylum claims will be processed.
Under the deal, those relocated to Rwanda will receive “support, including up to five years of education, vocational and skills training, as well as integration, accommodation, and healthcare, so that they can resettle and thrive.”
Human rights groups, however, slammed the plan as unworkable, inhumane and a waste of money, pointing to the fact that Britain has already paid Rwanda 120 million pounds ($150 million) upfront for the deal, money that the UK government said had been allocated for purposes pertaining, in particular, to accommodation of the migrants in the East African nation.