British outlet The Times revealed that the Government has considered several Latin American countries to broker "Rwanda-like" deals, a term that references a yet-to-be-passed law which intends to fly asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda to be processed.
The report, which analyzes a series of "leaked documents", shows that among the countries considered as frontrunners are Armenia, Ivory Coast, Bostwana and Costa Rica.
The documents also mention four other Latin American countries currently under consideration — Paraguay, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador — but states that those governments are thought to have "less interest" in what the UK Government refers to as a "third-country asylum processing deal."
A list of African countries make up the so-called "reserve list", consisting of destinations that would be approached if other targets failed. Those include Cape Verde, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Angola and Sierra Leone. The report also disclosed a series of countries who have already rejected the possibility of such a deal, including Morocco, Tunisia, Namibia and The Gambia.
According to The Daily Mail, some of the information reported suggests the existence of a "feasibility criteria" which included assessing "the size of the territory and its population." The newspaper also cited one unnamed senior Foreign Office official who was reported to have written the following in communications with the Home Office:
"We are conscious that many potential partner countries are following the UK legal process on the partnership with Rwanda and may be cautious about engaging substantively until this process is satisfactorily resolved."
The Rwanda plan was first announced in 2022 and has gone through several iterations. Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame last week in London for further talks about the bill but the plan has been repeatedly challenged in the courts. It remains, however, key to Sunak's pledge to "stop the boats" bringing unauthorized migrants to the U.K., and he has repeatedly said the long-delayed first flights will take off by June.
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