Are US Migrants Heading to Rwanda under Britain’s £700M Scheme?
The UK’s plan to deport migrants to Rwanda might be getting a second chance, but not for its original purpose.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp warned that the US is now using the same Rwandan facilities British taxpayers funded to facilitate part of Donald Trump’s mass deportation programme.
Rwanda’s failed deal with the UK
During 2022, the Rwanda issue gained a lot of attention and backlash. The proposed deal was to process UK asylum seeker claims in Rwanda, then if approved, remain there. The scheme was billed as addressing the number of increasingly dangerous Channel crossings and reduce the pressure on the UK’s asylum system.
Following the appointment of the new Labour Government, alongside criticism by rights groups, this deal was scrapped in 2023.
Defending the deal
Speaking at a fringe event during the Conservative Party conference, Philp defended the Tories’ original deal, describing it as a “tiny fraction” of the overall asylum bill. He went on to suggest that Washington has since struck its own deal with Rwanda, possibly even making use of infrastructure paid for by the UK.
Philp stated, “The USA are now using Rwanda, possibly even using the facilities we paid for, because Labour so foolishly cancelled that scheme just before it was going to start.”
US migrants heading to Rwanda
Back in August, reports emerged that Rwanda had agreed to take up to 250 migrants deported under Donald Trump’s mass-removal programme.
The US government will pay Rwanda in the form of a grant, echoing the UK’s previous arrangement which never fully got off the ground.
Philp stated that reports “suggested” the US deal was happening and accused Labour of wasting public money by scrapping the plan so close to launch, “The money spent on Rwanda, a few hundred million pounds….is small compared to the billions being spent on asylum,” he added.
What happens next?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer ended the Rwanda deportation scheme on his first day in office, calling it “a gimmick.” Critics, however, argue that its cancellation left behind a very expensive set of unused facilities and a ready-made opportunity for others to take over.
So, while the UK’s own version of the Rwanda plan may be dead in the water, it seems the idea itself is alive and well, but flying under an American flag.
