After leaving the Middle East or Africa, crossing Europe and then the English Channel, asylum seekers in the United Kingdom face the possibility of deportation to Rwanda, in a "terrifying" project that worries them.

refugees arrived in the UK illegally;

Some were hidden in trucks, and others came in boats.

It is estimated that more than 45,000 migrants will cross the English Channel on these fragile boats in 2022, many of whom do not speak English, but the word "Rwanda" is enough to provoke reactions.

"I can no longer sleep," said a 24-year-old Sudanese youth - to the French Press Agency - who arrived in Britain on a boat two years ago.


An Iraqi Kurd who was smoking a cigarette - in front of the hotel door, which is located a few hundred meters from the modern towers of London's financial district - also confirmed, "Rwanda? No," and continued, "Do you want to live there?"

And the government of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson concluded - last April - an agreement with Rwanda to deport immigrants who entered British territory illegally to this African country, regardless of the refugee's starting point and even before examining their asylum applications.

Rwanda also announced that it had signed an agreement worth millions of dollars with Britain, under which it would receive asylum seekers and immigrants deported from the United Kingdom on its territory.

The agreement, which allows the United Kingdom to deport migrants and asylum seekers to Rwanda, has drawn strong criticism from human rights groups and the opposition in both countries, and even from the United Nations.

Survival

For his part, a 24-year-old Ethiopian youth said, "This project is terrifying."

He added that when the project was announced, "everyone was terrified".

A 24-year-old Iranian Kurd expressed his concern, saying, "It's really scary, and it puts a lot of pressure on the people in the hotel."

This young man arrived in the UK 4 years ago, hiding in a truck, and he thinks that the plan will not include him, as he hopes to obtain refugee status soon.

The agreement allowing the United Kingdom to deport migrants and asylum seekers to Rwanda has drawn strong criticism from human rights groups (Getty Images)

One of the immigrants hopes that the plan will not be implemented, saying that it is "like starting from scratch," and noting that Rwanda "is not a safe place, as there was a genocide in this country."

But an Iranian girl (23 years old) preferred to be deported to Rwanda instead of being returned to her country, and she said, "If I return to Iran, I will be arrested."

In the face of criticism, the British government insists there are safe and legal routes for migrants.

And last June, irregular migrants - who were among those on the first deportation flight to Rwanda - were able to obtain a legal reprieve at the last minute, after intervention from the European Court of Human Rights.

Last week, the British High Court ruled that the government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was legal.

In the text of her decision, she said that the British government was criticized for not properly considering individual cases, but the plan itself was legal.

In turn, Amnesty International expressed its deep concern about the decision of the British Supreme Court - today, Saturday - regarding the legality of deporting refugees.

It should be noted that last November, the Independent newspaper revealed that the British Coast Guard was late in responding to a distress call from migrants during the sinking of their boat in the Channel Channel last year, resulting in the death of 27 of them by drowning.