UK Home Office plans second flight to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda

Source: The Guardian

UK Home Office plans second flight to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda

Flight could take off within weeks and before court has ruled on whether scheme is lawful

Diane Taylor
Sun 3 Jul 2022 11.00 EDT
Last modified on Sun 3 Jul 2022 13.08 EDT

The Home Office is planning a second flight to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, which could take off before the courts have ruled on whether the scheme is lawful, the Guardian has learned.

It is understood that a second flight could take off in a matter of weeks despite the fact that the full high court hearing to examine the government’s Rwanda plans does not begin until 19 July.

Home Office sources said they would not comment on operational matters or speculation.

During an earlier high court hearing, the charities Detention Action and Care4Calais, the PCS union that represents about 80% of Home Office Border Force staff, and several individual asylum seekers threatened with removal to Rwanda unsuccessfully made an urgent application to the judge to halt the first flight, which was due to leave on 14 June.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/03/uk-home-office-plans-second-flight-to-deport-asylum-seekers-to-rwanda