One-way flights to Rwanda for illegal boat migrants could commence as early as the end of May, a UK government source has said.
Despite initial reporting that it may take months for the UK to implement its plan of deporting illegal boat migrants to Rwanda, a government source has now said that the first on-way flights to the African nation might take off as early as the end of May.
However, there reportedly remains significant dangers that this time period may be yet delayed by legal challenges brought forward by what the government claims are activist lawyers, who have long been extremely engaged in preventing deportations.
According to a source which The Telegraph claims to have spoken to, the first single male migrants to be kicked out of the country will be informed of their removal this week, though other unnamed individuals within the government acknowledged that there would likely be “legal challenges”.
The planned removals are in response to a massive surge in the number of illegal migrants crossing into the UK via the English Channel, with tens of thousands making the dangerous journey last year.
“There is a lot to work through and we are doing it for the first time and have to make sure we get it right,” an unnamed source meanwhile told The Times regarding the issue.
“There is a legal process we needed to follow and the priority is to do it properly,” they continued.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reports a separate source as estimating that some time around the middle of June would be a more realistic prediction for when flights could begin.
Regardless of whether the illegal migrant removal flights start in May or June, the reported predictions from government officials stand in stark contrast with a statement by a spokesman for Boris Johnson last week, who said that the flying out of illegal migrants might not begin for a few more months.
Saying that the government nevertheless were confident that the plan would stand up to any legal challenges thrown at it, the spokesman nevertheless cited such opposition as one of a number of “variables” that could delay proceedings.
However, how useful this plan could actually be is also now in question, with Home Office plans reportedly only allowing for 300 migrants to be deported to Rwanda each year.
For context, 28,000 migrants arrived in Britain via crossing the English Channel last year, with some expecting this number to be significantly eclipsed in 2022.
“If the Rwanda policy only leads to 300 deportations there will be real anger,” Brexit firebrand Nigel Farage said, criticising the low removal numbers. “Johnson made a big promise.”