Priti Patel, UK home secretary, has hit back at critics of
the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Boris Johnson, UK prime minister, had announced the decision
last Wednesday, arguing that the action is needed to stop illegal migration and
to prevent “vile people smugglers” turning the ocean into a “watery graveyard”.
The announcement has drawn criticism from various groups and
individuals, with many calling on the prime minister to scrap the plan.
One of those who criticised the plan was Justin Welby,
Archbishop of Canterbury who said on Sunday the UK’s plan to send asylum
seekers to Rwanda for processing raises “serious ethical questions”.
He also said the UK government was “subcontracting” its
responsibilities.
But writing in the Times with Vincent Biruta, Rwandan
foreign minister, Patel said they had proposed an innovative solution to the
“deadly trade” of people smuggling, adding that no humanitarian nation would
allow that suffering to continue.
Patel and Biruta said the global asylum system was
collapsing under the strain of humanitarian crises and that their plan to
transport some asylum seekers who unlawfully enter the UK to Rwanda, will allow
people fleeing persecution to find safety.
“We are taking bold and innovative steps and it’s surprising
that those institutions that criticise the plans fail to offer their own
solutions,” they wrote.
“Allowing this suffering to continue is no longer an option
for any humanitarian nation.”
They added that the UK’s £120m investment in Rwanda would
help to address the lack of opportunities that drive economic migration.
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