Ministers have been called upon to abandon the “policy farce” following suggestions that those who recently avoided being sent to Rwanda after a legal dispute could be among the first to be identified in the program. As part of the 12-month pilot program, which began last week, some of those arriving by small boats from France or in the back of trucks will be spotted. The Interior Ministry said the trial would look into whether electronic surveillance could help maintain regular contact with migrants and help advance their claims. It will also collect data on how many people escape the immigration guarantee. However, critics said there was no evidence that asylum seekers were escaping. Clare Moseley, founder of the charity Care4Calais, said: “I think it’s outrageous. Refugees generally do not escape. There is no evidence that they did – they never did. They are here to seek asylum, so why do it? They are not criminals, they are victims. Things happen to them. They did not cause it. “It’s just another part of the government that criminalizes refugees, which is basically the responsibility for the victims.” Boris Johnson defended the plans on Saturday. He said it was important that people entering the country did not “disappear” from the system. “This is a very, very generous, hospitable country,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. I’m proud of that, but when people come here illegally, when they break the law, it ‘s important to make that distinction. That is what we are doing with our policy in Rwanda. ” Stephen Kinnock, the shadow immigration minister, said the policy was “yet another desperate attempt to divert public attention from the fact that under this Home Secretary asylum decision they have fallen sharply, the backlog has grown and they are failing completely.” to deal with criminal gangs “. Labor leader Keir Starmer has accused the government of “chasing the headlines”. Alistair Carmichael, a Liberal Democrat spokesman, said: “Conservative ministers are in for a rude awakening. The stench of impotence is unbearable. This is almost like a resolute attempt to waste as much taxpayer money as possible. Every day they break the Great British tradition of treating people with respect. “It’s time to dump her and move on.”
