Home Office set to detain asylum seekers in surprise Rwanda operation

The Home Office is set to launch a two-week operation to detain asylum seekers across Britain tomorrow, as part preparations for their deportation to Rwanda, according to reports.

Refugees who turn up for routine meetings at immigration service offices or bail appointments will be detained by officials, The Guardian reports.

Officials will also pick up refugees across the country as part of the detention operation, which is being launched weeks earlier than expected.

It is claimed, refugees will be immediately transferred to detention centres that the Home Office has prepared for the operation.

Detainees will be reportedly held until they are put on planes to Rwanda, with some expected to be put on the first flight due to take off this summer.

Police in Scotland have been reportedly put on alert because due to the high risk of street protests and attempts by pro-refugee campaigners to stop detentions.

The force will take charge of crowd control and public order but not detentions.

Refugee rights campaigners claim the detentions risked sparking legal battles, plus community protests and clashes with police.

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Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “The government is determined to recklessly pursue its inhumane Rwanda plan despite the cost, chaos and human misery it will unleash. We know it is likely to cause a catastrophic system meltdown.”

The first flight taking refugees to Rwanda will take off in June after MPs passed Rishi Sunak’s Safety of Rwanda Bill.

The Home Office said ratification of the act meant “the government is entering the final phase of operationalising this landmark policy to tackle illegal migration and stop the boats”.

The Home Office said ratification of the prime minister’s Safety of Rwanda Act meant “the government is entering the final phase of operationalising this landmark policy to tackle illegal migration and stop the boats”.

It added: “At some stage inevitably this will include detaining people in preparation for the first flight, which is set to take off to Rwanda in 10 to 12 weeks. It would be inappropriate to comment further on operational activity.”

The detention operation comes ahead of Thursday’s local council elections in England where the Tories face losing up to half the seats they currently hold.

Rishi Sunak said on Sunday that cracking down on illegal migration was central to the Tory campaign.

In an interview with Sky News the prime minister said he was focused on “stopping the boats” and told how he was determined to get the Rwanda scheme going.

According to Home Office data, the number of people arriving in the UK via small boats in the first four months of this year was a record high 7,167 people – compared with 5,745 for the same period last year.

A Home Office spokesperson described the rising level of migrant crossings this year as “unacceptable,” adding it “demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible”.

The spokesperson said: “We continue to work closely with French police who are facing increasing violence and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys.

“We remain committed to building on the successes that saw arrivals drop by more than a third last year, including tougher legislation and agreements with international partners, in order to save lives and stop the boats.”