Exiling refugees in Rwanda is 'absurd & terrifying'

Today, the Prime Minister set out plans to offshore people seeking asylum in the UK and detain them in Rwanda. In response, Gunes Kalkan, Head of Campaigns at Safe Passage International said:

“The Government’s plans to exile refugees to Rwanda are absurd and terrifying. These measures will cruelly punish people who have fled their homes and are now desperately seeking safety, like Afghans fleeing the Taliban. Having escaped war and persecution, people will be imprisoned in Rwanda, separated from family and stuck in limbo.

This is a total abdication of our responsibility to people seeking safety, and will do nothing to prevent refugees from risking treacherous Channel crossings. Until there is another way to reach sanctuary in the UK, the tragic truth is that people will risk their lives crossing the Channel in flimsy dinghies to reach safety and family here.

Instead of pursuing these horrifying plans, the Government must welcome those seeking safety here, open safe routes for refugees and fix our broken family reunion rules.”