The British government has announced that the last two detained migrants awaiting deportation to Rwanda will be released on bail in the coming days. During the recent election campaign, the Home Office had released 218 detainees who were originally due to be sent to East-Central Africa as part of the previous Conservative government’s strategy to combat illegal immigration. However, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has declared the policy “dead and buried” on his first day in office, maintaining it would only affect “less than 1%” of those who arrived on small boats.
Since late April, scores of asylum-seekers have been taken into detention for eventual deportation. At its peak, the scheme aimed to send 220 people to Rwanda, although the total bill to taxpayers has yet to be calculated now that the programme has been cancelled. The Labour Party had vowed to target criminal gangs by investing in investigations and employing counter-terrorism strategies.
During the coming months, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper hopes to appoint a “border security commander” and oversee legislation on border security matters. Though the government places a high priority on curbing illegal migration, the details of any new policies have yet to be revealed. Meanwhile, approximately 52,000 individuals who came to the UK via small boats remain in the country, their fate uncertain.
Despite the lack of clarity on the government’s plans to combat illegal migration more broadly, officials have confirmed that the National Crime Agency will receive support to track down criminal smuggling gangs, the same gangs which are responsible for bringing in illegal immigrants
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