Gay asylum seeker blasts ‘inhumane’ Rwanda plan after 5,000 mile trip to Calais

Isaac has been living in a tent in northern France for three months now.

While he does not have paperwork with him, i has cross referenced Isaac’s story with other reports and accounts of migration along similar routes, and NGO workers in Calais.

“I’m not lying to you: living in this camp is hell, for everyone,” he said. “Most of the camp is flooded with water, so they have to use [wooden] pallets. You are shivering because of the cold – can you imagine how we do it?”

But despite the difficulties and the threat of deportation to Rwanda, Isaac insists that the UK is “the only safe country for us in Europe.”

“We need the UK Government to touch their hearts and give us opportunity and chances,” he said.

Isaac is aware of the Government’s Rwanda policy, which would see those who arrive on small boats sent to the central African nation without having their asylum claim heard in the UK first. If they are granted asylum, they will be resettled in Rwanda, with no opportunity to return to the UK.

During i‘s visit to the migrant camps in northern France, MPs voted to pass a Government bill declaring Rwanda a safe country for asylum seekers, paving the way for flights to begin once the legislation passes through the House of Lords.

As a gay man, Isaac says he is “so worried” about the prospect of being sent to Rwanda, which has been criticised for its treatment of LGBT+ people.

Isaac said: “Deporting us back to Rwanda, it’s not a good idea for everyone. Some of the gays, lesbians, when you send them to Rwanda you send them to go and kill themselves. Where is the humanity?”

i revealed last week that several Rwandans who have fled persecution for their sexual orientation have been granted asylum in the UK since the Rwanda deal was first reached.

The UK Government’s own website on travel to Rwanda states that “LGBT individuals can experience discrimination and abuse, including from local authorities” and notes that “there are no specific anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT individuals.”

However, the Home Office insists that “Rwanda is a safe country that cares deeply about supporting refugees”, hosting more than 135,000 asylum seekers and standing “ready help them rebuild their lives.”

The department is “confident our Partnership with Rwanda will help to break the people smugglers’ business model.”

But Isaac said that the risks of Rwanda won’t stop him from trying to cross the Channel.