2LT International News

LONDON, UK – Rishi Sunak says the Rwanda plan is generating an influx of migrants into Ireland, demonstrating that its deterrent impact is functioning.

“The deterrent is already having an impact because people are concerned about coming here,” the Prime Minister stated.

It comes after Tnaiste Michel Martin claimed that the UK’s asylum policy is forcing people across the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic, fearing deportation to Rwanda.

UK Ministers intend to put asylum seekers arriving in the UK on a one-way aircraft to the East African nation to prevent others from crossing the English Channel in small boats.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act, which ensures the plan’s legality, was passed by Parliament this week and signed into law on Thursday.

In an interview with Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Prime Minister was questioned whether the UK is merely exporting the problem.

He stated: “My focus is on the United Kingdom and securing our borders.”
Downing Street denied on Friday that the Rwanda plan was already impacting movements into Ireland, saying it was premature to conclude its impact.

Martin, who also acts as Minister of Foreign Affairs, told reporters in Dublin on Friday: “Clearly, there has been an increase in the number of people coming into Northern Ireland and into the Republic. And it’s evident that a Rwanda policy means that if you’re in a certain circumstance in the UK, you don’t want to go to Rwanda – not that anyone has gone yet, I hasten to add.”

Irish ministers said earlier this week that the number of migrants crossing the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic has increased.