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20 Apr 2022
RSD and the government's proposed Rwanda scheme
The RSD Board have released the following statement:
Refugee Support Devon is shocked by, and strongly opposes, the UK Government’s recent announcement about plans to send asylum seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda.
Under the proposed arrangements, men, women and children fleeing war and persecution will be denied access to asylum procedures in the UK.
As the UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs said: “Such arrangements simply shift asylum responsibilities, evade international obligations, and are contrary to the letter and spirit of the Refugee Convention”
Asylum seekers should not be punished or treated differently because of the way they entered the country. Contrary to what the UK government has stated, these plans to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda will not deter people from taking risky journeys across the Channel to safety. What we truly need are safe, legal routes to help asylum seekers find sanctuary in the UK, so that they do not have to resort to dangerous journeys and risk their lives in the first place.
We urge our supporters to join us in opposing this plan, to call on the Government to provide legal, safe routes and more resettlement places for refugees in the UK. We also ask our supporters to continue to oppose the Nationality and Borders Bill, which will be debated again in Parliament today (20 April).
Take action… Write to your MP
BID (Bail for Immigration Detainees) has provided a template you can use to write to your MP, asking them to take a stand against deporting refugees to Rwanda.
You can also find out more about the Nationality and Borders Bill, and how you can stand against it, through the Refugee Council.
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