British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not ruled out that Ukrainian refugees could be expelled to Rwanda if they enter the UK illegally, the Guardian newspaper has reported.
The UK and Rwanda signed a migration agreement on 13 April under which people found by the British government to be illegal migrants or asylum seekers would be deported to Rwanda for documentation processing, asylum and re-location.
Johnson visited the Rwandan capital of Kigali on Thursday. During his visit, he was asked if Ukrainians who arrived in Britain illegally, such as by boat across the Channel, would be deported to Rwanda.
“We issue 130,000 visas to Ukrainians and they have at least two very good routes to enter. But if you’re coming here illegally … I’m afraid the answer is that, yes, in theory it could happen,” Johnson said, adding that he thought such a scenario was very unlikely.
The first expulsion of migrants from Britain to Rwanda was due to take place on the evening of June 14. However, the flight was cancelled at the last minute due to an ECtHR ruling that left Britain extremely unhappy.
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