Great Britain implemented a strategy in 2022 to discourage "asylum seekers" from illegally entering the country after striking a deal with Rwanda, a small country in central Africa. Individuals who were smuggled to British shores on makeshift dinghies would be relocated to Rwanda. The UK government provided Rwanda with a £120 million ($150 million) down payment and instructed the country to prepare for the arrival of thousands of refugees.
However, the plan has been a huge waste of money and only two migrants have volunteered to go to Rwanda after being paid £3,000 by Great Britain, per the WSJ.
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This, as a record-breaking number of migrants have crossed the English Channel to Great Britain so far this year, according to data. Last year, the illegal immigration crisis cost taxpayers £3.1 billion.
Former British PM Boris Johnson made the UK's migrant pact with Rwanda, pledging £370 million to boost Rwanda's economy. £270 million has been granted so far, with the deal offering an additional £120 million if it accepts 300 migrants.
The UK government promised to pay for asylum seekers' travel to Rwanda and housing once there for five years. A one-way ticket to Rwanda costs £11,00, according to the UK Home Office. Officials concluded they couldn't use commercial planes and needed a chartered plane equipped with skilled handlers.
Additionally, the UK also offered to spend £151,000 per migrant for housing, food, and medical insurance in Rwanda. Britain also said they would give Rwanda £10,000 to help a migrant leave Rwanda if they wished to do so.
But alas, the migrant plan has yet to successfully take off.
The UK government's plan, which has been praised by the right-wing as a pragmatic response to a global migration crisis, has encountered logistical, political, and legal obstacles.
Currently, migrants are permitted to remain in their host country - as long as they claim asylum - while their claims are evaluated to ascertain whether they require protection. Human smugglers have exploited this system to transport migrants to Western nations who are not in danger but seek improved employment opportunities.
Britain's strategy is more ambitious: it involves relocating migrants to another country and prohibiting their entry into the UK, regardless of whether they are classified as refugees. The government contends that the policy complies with international law by providing refugees with protection from persecution in their home countries.
Migrants are often smuggled to the UK after gathering in temporary shelters in Northern France. From there, between 50 and 100 individuals are crammed onto rafts and make the trek to the United Kingdom. The journey takes about six hours, per the WSJ.
After they reach UK waters, the smugglers call British emergency officials for help. Emergency responders arrive on boats and transport the migrants to Dover.
In late 2022, Sunak became prime minister and implemented "Stop the Boats" as a critical component of his electoral strategy. The Rwanda plan was found to be in violation of UK law by the UK Supreme Court last year. The UK government responded by signing a treaty with Rwanda, which stipulated that no individual sent by Britain could be forcibly transferred to another nation.
