MORE than 2,000 illegal migrants have arrived on small boats already this year after one of the busiest days so far yesterday.
A total 290 people crossed the Channel in five dinghies on Sunday amid the warmer weather.
AFPMore than 2,000 illegal migrants have arrived on small boats this year[/caption]
It is the highest number for more than a month following the 2023 high so far of 358 on January 17 and takes the annual figure to 2,006.
Rishi Sunak is scrambling to get deportation flights going to Rwanda in a bid to deter small boat journeys.
The flagship legislation is going through the Lords where peers are expected to kick it back in a watered-down form.
The PM will take some comfort that illegal arrivals are currently tracking at 32 per cent lower than the total recorded this time last year of 2,953.
But during local radio interviews this morning Mr Sunak faced claims he was “ignoring” concerns about RAF base Scampton being used to house asylum seekers.
He told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: “I’m not ignoring them. We do need to make sure that we house people in appropriate accommodation and the best way to resolve this issue long term is to stop people coming in the first place.
“So anyone who cares about this should be backing us to get the Rwanda Bill through Parliament so we can get a deterrent up and running.
“I’m confident that we really will be able to stop the boats and that will mean that we won’t have this pressure in all our local areas to find places to house illegal migrants.”
WHAT IS THE RWANDA PLAN? IMMIGRATION SCHEME EXPLAINED
What is the Rwanda plan?
Under the plan, anyone who arrives in Britain illegally will be deported to Rwanda, a country in eastern Africa.
The government believes the threat of being removed to Rwanda will deter migrants from making the dangerous Channel crossing in small boats.
Once in Rwanda, their asylum claims will be processed but there is no route back to the UK, save for some exceptional circumstances such as individual safety concerns. Britain will pay for migrants to start a new life in Rwanda.
What’s the hold up?
First announced by Boris Johnson in 2022, the scheme has been bogged down by relentless legal challenges.
The first flight was due to take off in summer 2022, but was blocked on the runway at the last minute by a European Court order.
Since then the legality of the plan has been contested in the courts, culminating in a Supreme Court judgement in November last year which said Rwanda was unsafe for asylum seekers.
What is Sunak doing?
To salvage the Rwanda plan from the Supreme Court’s scathing ruling, Rishi Sunak announced a two-pronged workaround.
First, he would sign a new treaty with Rwanda to beef up protections for asylum seekers that will be enshrined in law.
Second, he would introduce new legislation that would declare Rwanda a safe country.
It would mean courts, police and officials would have to treat it as safe unless there is a risk of individual and irreparable harm.
How long will that take?
The legislation has cleared the Commons but is now being held up in the House of Lords.
Rishi Sunak does not have a majority in the Lords, and peers are far more hostile to the plan.
They will likely send it back to the Commons with amendments watering down the scheme.
Such changes would be unconscionable to MPs who would strip out the measures and send it back.
This “ping-pong” will continue until either side – usually the unelected Lords – gives in and the Bill passes.
When will flights take off?
Mr Sunak wants to get the first flights sent to Rwanda by the spring.
But potential hurdles include more court battles launched by individual migrants or the European Court of Human Rights.
Mr Sunak has vowed to ignore any more orders by Strasbourg judges to ground planes, although individual appeals in domestic courts could prove tricky.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will scrap the scheme if he is elected PM, even if it is working.
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