Asylum seekers in Rwanda: The UK could transfer the first persons 'within weeks.'

According to the government, the first asylum seekers might be airlifted to Rwanda from the UK in a matter of weeks.

It comes after the introduction of a pilot program in which people will be flown to the east African country to seek asylum.

Single guys crossing the Channel in boats or lorries from France will be the focus of this plan at first.

The prime minister claims it will "save many lives" and disrupt traffickers' business model, but critics label it "inhumane."

The idea, according to Andrew Griffith MP, director of the No 10 policy unit, would not require new law and could be implemented using "existing norms."

He told BBC Newsnight it could therefore be launched "in weeks or a small number of months".

He added that, if the flow of illegal migration could be stopped, it would leave "lots of capacity for the very generous safe and legal routes" into the UK.

The Rwanda program is part of a larger effort to minimize the number of persons who enter the UK by tiny boats crossing the English Channel.

To detect every boat going for the UK, the Royal Navy has taken operational command of the Channel from the UK Border Force.

Last year, 28,526 persons crossed the border, compared to 8,404 in 2020.

Tony Smith, the former director-general of the UK Border Force, said that it would take weeks to determine whether the "radical" new approach could be implemented.

He told BBC Breakfast that when people are loaded onto planes heading for Rwanda, the government is likely to face legal challenges. The largest-ever influx of asylum seekers.

In a speech on Thursday, Boris Johnson said the agreement with Rwanda would provide "safe and legal routes for asylum".

"Economic migrants taking advantage of the asylum system will not get to stay in the UK, while those with genuine need will be properly protected," he said.

He said the scheme would cover anyone who had arrived in the UK illegally since the start of this year.

'Just another risk to factor in

No one we initially spoke to yesterday seemed to know about the Rwanda announcement - but it wasn't long before word spread.

Soon a group of men was asking us lots of questions: "When will this happen? Why? If I come from Afghanistan will it still apply to me?"

Shafi, who told me he fled Afghanistan, said: "[Rwanda] is a lot worse place than Afghanistan, there is no future for us in Rwanda."

But I didn't meet anyone who said the government's plans would prevent them from trying to cross the Channel, including Shafi, who said he had no choice.

Many of these men have already faced huge risks to get this far and are willing to risk their lives crossing the Channel on a small boat.

The risk of being sent to Rwanda, at this stage, seemed like just another thing to factor in down the line.

More than 160 charities and campaign groups have urged the government to scrap the plan, describing it in an open letter as "shamefully cruel".

Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said it would do little to deter desperate people and "only lead to more human suffering".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr. Johnson was trying to distract the country from the Partygate scandal with an "unworkable, unethical, and extortionate" scheme.

The Lib Dems said the government was "slamming the door" in the face of refugees, while the SNP's Ian Blackford called the plan "absolutely chilling".

Former Ukip and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said it was "not much more than a short-term solution".

Questions are also being raised about the price of the scheme, with The Times reporting a cost of £20,000 to £30,000 for each migrant sent to Rwanda.

But justice and migration minister Tom Pursglove declined to give such a figure, telling BBC Breakfast it would depend on several factors.

He said the UK was spending nearly £5m a day on hotels, while the new scheme would initially cost £120m, with more money to be given later.

A similar program in Australia cost an estimated £460m in 2021 but successfully resettled only 239 people - a cost of around £1.9m per person.

Concerns are being raised about the human rights record of Rwanda and its president, Paul Kagame.

Rwanda, Mr. Pursglove added, was a progressive country that wished to provide refuge and had achieved "significant progress" in the last three decades.

According to the minister, it is now one of just two countries in the world with a female-majority legislature and an anti-discrimination provision that runs "straight through its constitution."

However, just last year at the United Nations, the UK government expressed alarm over Rwanda's "continuing restrictions on civil and political rights, as well as media freedom."

Amnesty International UK's Steve Valdez-Symonds described sending individuals to the east African country as "the height of irresponsibility."

Rwanda's government spokesman, Yolande Makolo, told the BBC that the country is "secure, developing swiftly, and we care about human rights as much as any other country."

People deported to Rwanda would be provided with housing and support, according to an agreement between the two countries. They will have complete freedom to come and go from their lodging.