Asylum seekers in UK stage hunger strike over imminent Rwanda deportations: Report

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON (AA) - Asylum seekers at an immigration detention center in the UK staged a hunger strike in a protest against the government’s plan to deport refugees to Rwanda as part of its new immigration plan.

Around 17 asylum seekers refused food from authorities for five days at the Brook House detention center. The hunger strike ended on Wednesday evening after guards stopped providing sugar to the refugees to mix with their water, according to the BBC.

The group of 17 as well as an estimated 100 refugees who recently arrived in the UK received removal notices from the Home Office reminding them of the plan to deport them to the east African country which will commence on June 14, a week later than originally scheduled.

“Directions have now been given for your removal from the United Kingdom on a direct flight to Kigali International Airport, Kigali, Rwanda on 14 June 2022. This is NOT an appealable decision,” read a notice Home Office, published by the BBC News.

“The reasons for this are: You are specifically considered an illegal entrant to the UK … you admitted to being in a private vehicle namely a RHIB (Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boat) which had recently arrived in the UK from France. You could not produce any travel document to provide evidence of lawful basis to be in the UK. You therefore had entered in breach of s.3(1)(a) of the IA 1971 - illegal immigrant,” the notice added.

In interviews with BBC News, refugees said authorities had confiscated their smartphones and provided them with phones without internet access. Others complained of not understanding the removal notices due to their lack of understanding of English while another individual noted how the notice misspelled his name.

Refugees described the atmosphere in the detention centers as those of “distress and despair” with one Syrian refugee saying he was “ready to die, but not to be moved to Rwanda.”

Although the Home Office has not confirmed how many removal notices have been issued, according to Care4Calais, a human rights group, an estimated 100 asylum seekers have been warned of their deportation from the UK.

The UK government has defended its immigration deal with Rwanda and has argued that the asylum seekers' health, care, and well-being are a top priority.

"The health and welfare of those in immigration detention is of the utmost importance. We take every step to prevent self-harm or suicide, including a dedicated welfare team on site at each immigration removal centre, responsible for identifying vulnerable individuals and providing assistance to support individuals' needs,” a spokesperson for the Home Office said.

Despite these assurances, however, refugees have complained of not being able to speak with the Home Office and of their dire situations and of the reasons as to why they fled to the UK.

"I didn't get a meeting with the Home Office without going on a hunger strike twice. I had to leave my country for family disputes. I have a mental health problem from what I've witnessed in Libya on the journey here,” an Egyptian asylum seeker at the center said.

In April, the government announced that thousands of asylum seekers and refugees attempting to enter the UK will be sent to Rwanda for reprocessing in what it said is an attempt to gain back control of the UK’s borders and to put an end to illegal people smuggling across the English Channel.

The new plan has been widely criticized as cruel and inhumane and has been denounced by leaders of the main opposition Labour Party as well as from the Liberal Democrat Party and the Scottish National Party.

Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International UK and Refugee Action have also denounced the government for endangering the lives of vulnerable and persecuted people by sending them to a country that is notoriously well known for its human rights abuses.