The Home Office has already begun to free migrants detained for Rwanda flights, it has been revealed.
Failed asylum seekers will be released under bail conditions by a court having been detained since the beginning of May.
Rishi Sunak’s Government has yet to confirm how many migrants had been detained for deportation to Rwanda and how many were released by the court order.
June 24 was reportedly pencilled as the earliest date for flights to take off.
However, legal challenges could cause the first Rwanda flight to take off with “fewer than 10 migrants on board,” a source close to the planning of the flights told the Times.
They said: “We will do well to get to double figures on the first flight because of the attrition rate due to legal challenges.”
Claims can be lodged by migrants set to be deported to the African country if they can provide “compelling evidence relating specifically to the person’s particular circumstances.”
Legal challenges are expected to be based on articles two and three of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protect the right to life and guard against torture.
A Home Office spokesman told The Times: “The deterrent within the Rwanda policy is simple and already showing signs of working.
“If you come to the UK illegally, and now if you are a failed asylum seeker with no right to be here, you will be removed. That was always the aim and is neither new nor rushed.
“We do not recognise these claims and they do not reflect our current operational planning. Detentions for those in line for removal are continuing and we are working at pace to get flights off the ground in July.”
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Source Agencies
