UK's Rwanda Scheme Appears to Be Working as Ireland Sees Surge of Refugees

In April, the UK clinched a deal with Rwanda, which stipulates that illegal migrants arriving in Britain via the English Channel are due to be sent to the East African nation, where their asylum claims will be processed.

Dublin’s suggestion that a recent surge in international migrants to Ireland could be linked to the UK’s Rwanda policy is a “seeming admission” that the Rwanda deal has deterred asylum seekers from coming to Britain, according to the Telegraph.

In an apparent reference to the Rwanda deal, an Irish government spokesman in turn told The Telegraph that “recent policy changes in other jurisdictions, including the UK, as the Taoiseach [Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin] referred to, may be creating the perception of a less welcoming immigration and international protection environment, leading to secondary movements of applicants.”

The remarks came after Martin said that a reception center for Ukrainian refugees in Dublin was now 70% comprised of non-Ukrainian asylum seekers.

He pledged that the government would be “analyzing this, but something has happened in the last two to three months in terms of the surge within international protection applicants.”

“Anecdotally or intuitively, one can see, and maybe sense, that that policy announcement, which I thought was a wrong policy announcement by the UK, a shocking sort of initiative in my view, to be doing some agreement with Rwanda, clearly may have motivated people utilizing the Common Travel Area to come into the republic [Ireland] - yes, I think it is one of a number of factors,” Martin argued.

The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an open-borders agreement between Dublin and London, which, in particular, welcomed about 95,400 Ukrainian refugees to Ireland. Under the CTA, British and Irish citizens can move freely and reside in either jurisdiction, enjoying “associated rights and privileges, including the right to work, study and vote in certain elections, as well as to access social welfare benefits and health services.”

Earlier, Dublin scrapped visa requirements for Ukrainians, stipulating that they do not need to claim asylum and instead are granted “temporary protection” for an initial period of a year. Upon arrival in Ireland, they are provided with welfare payments, access to healthcare, education, accommodation and the right to work.

The London-­Kigali asylum pact, which was inked by Home Secretary Priti Patel and Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Vincent Birut on April 14, 2022, stipulates adult migrants who illegally arrived in the UK seeking sanctuary since January would be given a one-way ticket for the 4,000-mile (6,400-km) trip to the east African nation for processing and resettlement.

Under the deal, those relocated to Rwanda will receive “support, including up to five years of education, vocational and skills training, as well as integration, accommodation, and healthcare, so that they can resettle and thrive.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government described the Rwanda scheme as a legitimate way to protect lives and thwart the criminal gangs that send migrants on risky journeys across the English Channel.

Human rights groups, however, slammed the plan as unworkable, inhumane and a waste of money, pointing to the fact that Britain has already paid Rwanda 120 million pounds ($150 million) upfront for the deal, money that the UK government said had been allocated for purposes pertaining, in particular, to accommodation of the migrants in the East African nation.

The House of Commons Home Affairs Committee for its part claimed that “much more clarity is required” on the Rwanda plan and that “there is no clear evidence that the policy will deter migrant crossings.”

The committee warned that the number of illegal immigrants trafficked across the English Channel in dangerously-overloaded small boats might reach 60,000 before the end of this year, more than double the roughly 28,500 in 2021.