PRITI Patel has insisted work is taking place “right now” to send migrants to Rwanda as hundreds of migrants continued to cross the Channel, raising questions over the deterrent impact of the policy.
The Home Secretary said discussions with the East African nation’s government were taking place to progress the deportation policy, which has been branded inhumane by critics.
New figures show between Saturday and Tuesday, 907 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel.
The Border Force now has bigger "ferry-style" vessels operating in the Channel, which can each carry 92 migrants, The Telegraph has reported.
Asked what she was doing now to curb Channel crossings while work on the Rwanda deal takes place, Patel said: “These crossings are dangerous, put together by people smugglers who are just exploiting people that think that they can come to our country through these dangerous routes, and the point about the migration and economic development partnership that we have with Rwanda is actually about removing those who come to our country illegally and have no basis to be in our country.
“That work is taking place right now. Our discussions with my counterparts in the government in Rwanda are taking place right now in terms of our removal plans.
“We are operationalising that work right now as the British public would expect, post the announcement of our plan last month.”
Since the start of this year, 8697 people have reached the UK after navigating busy shipping lanes from France in small boats, according to analysis of government data.
This is now more than the number recorded throughout the whole of 2020 - 8466 - official Home Office figures show.
There were 285 people who made the crossing in seven boats on Tuesday, and 19 in one boat on Monday, 436 in nine boats on Sunday and 167 in 13 boats on Saturday, according to Ministry of Defence figures.
