The deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlikely to deter those in northern France who hope to cross the English Channel in small boats, according to a survey that found three-quarters say they would still try to make the trip.
The current survey of more than 60 asylum seekers in Calais and Dunkirk was carried out by the charity Care4Calais, which provides practical support to asylum seekers in both northern France and the United Kingdom.
When the UK government announced plans to evacuate some asylum seekers to Rwanda on April 14, ministers stressed that the controversial scheme would act as a deterrent for asylum seekers planning to cross the English Channel in small boats.
Asylum seekers who spoke to Care4Calais said they were still willing to take risks.
“I’m willing to take a chance,” said one. “Everyone is scared in the camp, but I don’t think it will affect them [the decision to cross the Channel]”
Many interviewees fled Sudan or South Sudan and were horrified at the prospect of being sent back to a country not far from the starting point of their journey, especially after enduring the hardships of crossing Libya, where many had to deal with traffickers, and carrying out the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean for Italy.
“Rwanda is not good. This is for the animals, we are taking risks to have a safe life, “said another asylum seeker in the study.
On Sunday, more than 200 people crossed the English Channel in small boats after an 11-day break due to bad weather, although the government says the lack of such crossings is proof that his plan for Rwanda is already having a deterrent effect. The last crossing before the resumption of small boats on the English Channel on Sunday was April 19, when 263 people boarded seven boats.
Offshoring plans are subject to several legal challenges, including one from Care4Calais, PCS and Detention Action. They dispute the failure to publish details of the government’s policy and decision to sanction asylum seekers on the basis of illegal entry into the United Kingdom.
Care4Calais has launched a crowdfunding for the lawsuits and condemned the impact of the plans on asylum seekers on both sides of the English Channel. The charity is one of several to warn that since the government announced plans to deport people to Rwanda, dozens of asylum seekers have reportedly disappeared from hotels in the UK, where they are being housed by the Home Office because they fear being rounded and boarded a plane to Rwanda.
Sam Jonkers, a volunteer at Care4Calais, knows of some refugees who have disappeared from hotels, and says she has been bombarded with text messages from asylum seekers who fear fear of being offshore.
“Rwanda’s plans are devastating for people who have left such dangerous countries and had such difficult journeys to reach the United Kingdom,” she said. “I received hundreds of text messages from terrified asylum seekers; they can’t sleep at night because they are so worried. “
One message reads: “I could not sleep. So scared of what we expect to happen to us in the coming days with the decision on Rwanda. “
Another said: “Now I don’t think there is such a thing as human rights anywhere in the world, not in Iran, the United Kingdom or anywhere.
While about a quarter of respondents to the Care4Calais survey in northern France said the Rwanda offshore announcement would make them consider staying in France and seeking refuge there, many said they would continue with plans to reach the UK. .
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Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, condemned the impact of Rwanda’s communication on asylum seekers in the United Kingdom, saying: to be expelled to Rwanda is upon them. “
He said the government was simply treating asylum seekers it hoped to take offshore as a “human burden”.
Maddie Harris of the Humans for Rights Network is also aware that some asylum seekers have disappeared from hotels since the announcement of offshoring. She warned that many asylum seekers in the UK could go underground to avoid being offshore.
“This is a policy that exchanges human life for money,” she said. “This is forcing people out of the poverty asylum system for fear of removal, dramatically increasing the risk of exploitation.”
A spokesman for the Home Office said: “This world-leading partnership for migration and economic development will review our shattered asylum system, which currently costs UK taxpayers £ 1.5 billion a year – the highest of two decades. There is nothing in the UN Refugee Convention to prevent relocation to a safe country. Under this agreement, Rwanda will process claims in accordance with national and international human rights law.
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