LONDON, UK
The United Kingdom's
controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost £169,000
($210,000) per person, according to an impact assessment published Tuesday,
although the government insisted it would recoup most of the costs.British Home Secretary Priti Patel shakes hands with Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Birutaare after signing the partnership agreement at a joint news conference in Kigali, Rwanda, on April 14
The U.K. assessment shows that
the initial cost of sending an individual to a third country will be around
£169,000 - including a £105,000 payment to the third country, along with flight
tickets and administration costs.
But it also predicted an
estimated saving in costs over four years of £106,000 for each asylum seeker
removed to Rwanda, or another third country.
This could rise to £165,000 if
accommodation costs grow at the trend rate that has been observed since 2019,
it added.
The assessment warned that the
figures were "highly uncertain," and said the plan would need to
deter around 37 percent of small boat crossings for the costs to be recouped.
The U.K.'s Conservative
government has made tackling immigration a priority, and it was a key promise
as the country left the European Union.
It wants to outlaw asylum claims by all irregular arrivals and transfer them to "safe" third countries, such as Rwanda, to stop thousands of migrants from crossing the Channel on small boats.
The government said up to
£165,000 could be recouped due to saved costs from reduced asylum support.
London also hopes the program
will act as a deterrent.
The government has highlighted
the cost of housing asylum seekers while their claims are being processed, as
it attempts to win support for the bill in parliament.
More than 45,000 migrants
arrived on the shores of southeast England on small boats in 2022 - a
60-percent annual increase on a perilous route that has been used by more
people every year since 2018.
Beyond the cost, the proposed
law, which is currently being debated in parliament, has come under fire over
the potential treatment of asylum seekers in Rwanda.
"If enacted in its
current form, the bill would leave tens of thousands of refugees unable to
access the protection they are entitled to under international law," said
Enver Solomon, head of the Refugee Council.
"It would cause hardship,
cost billions of pounds, and do nothing to alleviate the current crisis and
pressures within the asylum system."
The Rwanda plan, announced by
then-prime minister Boris Johnson last year, was blocked at the last minute by
the European Court of Human Rights, which is separate to the E.U.
The government scheme is still
mired in legal challenges. To date, no deportation flights to Rwanda have taken
place.
Judges in London will hand
down their judgment on the legality of the scheme on Thursday.
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