Britain defends Rwanda asylum plan as 'compassionate'

Britain’s interior minister defended a controversial plan to deport asylum seekers who arrive in the UK illegally to Rwanda during a visit to the country on Saturday, saying it was “compassionate”.Some British media including the BBC and The Guardian newspaper were not invited to cover the interior minister’s visit to Rwanda.It is seeking to outlaw asylum claims by all illegal arrivals and transfer them to “safe” third countries, such as Rwanda, in a bid to stop thousands of migrants from crossing the Channel on small boats.More than 45,000 migrants arrived on the shores of southeast England on small boats last year — a 60-percent annual increase on a perilous route that has been used by more people every year since 2018.

“I sincerely believe that this world-leading partnership between two allies and two friends, the United Kingdom and Rwanda, will lead the way in finding a solution which is both humanitarian and compassionate,” Home Secretary Suella Braverman said in Kigali.She spoke alongside Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta, who said the move “will not only help dismantle criminal human-smuggling networks, but also save lives”.