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Rwanda refugee scheme 'not safe'

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date11 June 2022
Publication titleHuddersfield Daily Examiner
Migrants due to be given a one-way ticket to the east African nation as part of Home Secretary Priti Patel's bid to curb Channel crossings, as well as campaign groups and a union, have asked judges to block their upcoming deportation flight

Up to 130 people have been notified they could be removed on the inaugural flight, due to take off on Tuesday.

But lawyers for almost 100 migrants have already submitted legal challenges asking to stay in the UK with the remaining anticipated to follow suit this week.

On Friday, the first stage of action began, brought by lawyers on behalf of four individual migrants alongside the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), which represents more than 80 per cent of Border Force staff, as well as groups Care4Calais and Detention Action who are challenging the policy on behalf of everyone affected.

Raza Husain QC, for the claimants, told the High Court: "The system is not safe. It is not that it is not safe after July, it is just not safe. You may be arbitrarily denied access to it. If you do get into it, there are concerns about the impartiality of the decision-making." He continued: "The evidence is that if you are not from a neighbouring country, then there are high levels of rejection."

Mr Husain said this included asylum seekers from Syria, who are largely accepted by the UK system.

"The procedure is simply unsafe," he added.

Calling for an evidence-based assessment for the policy, 'not an aspirational basis, or hopes', Mr Husain said: "The...

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