Dundee City Council is to ask the UK Government to urgently reconsider what one councillor describes as an “inhumane” policy deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.
At Monday’s policy and resources committee, West End SNP Councillor, Nadia El-Nakla, asked for agreement that the authority’s chief executive, Greg Colgan, writes to Priti Patel.
The move, which was agreed by the committee, will see the council again write to the Home Secretary to reinforce concerns about human rights.
In June, an open letter to Ms Patel from the council called for an end to the policy but received no response.
It was signed by the city council’s SNP leader, John Alexander, and Liberal Democrat group leader Fraser Macpherson.
Dundee MPs Chris Law and Stewart Hosie, both SNP, also signed, along with local SNP MSPs Shona Robison and Joe Fitzpatrick.
Ms El-Nakla’s letter states Dundee is a city that “welcomes and values refugees” and describes the UK Government policy as “inhumane and shocking.”
European court intervention
Under the agreement with the government in Rwanda, migrants that arrive illegally in Britain are to be flown to the east African nation.
The first deportation flight was scheduled to leave the UK in June, but this was grounded by eleventh hour injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights.
Rwanda is more than 4000 miles from Britain and an eight hour flight. Human rights organisations and religious leaders have condemned the policy.
Ms El-Nakla said: “We are appalled at this, and the UK Government’s barbed insistence to push this policy shows nothing but a hostile environment built on dehumanising asylum seekers…
“(They) will be at risk of abuse if they speak against any ill-treatment in Rwanda; a country with serious human rights abuses including repression of free speech, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and torture.
“We demand that every single person be accorded the same human rights regardless of where they come from and their circumstances.”
Ms El-Nakla added: “We want our asylum seekers and refugees to be welcomed. We demand an end to the hostile environment and the racism it brings.”
‘Fairness, dignity and respect’
In her summary, Councillor El-Nakla refers to the Scottish Government’s sponsorship of Ukranian refugees and quotes Scotland’s social security charter.
She said: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s move to create a humane and welcoming environment.
“(We) ask that the UK Government rethink this policy and resets its whole immigration policy to build fairness, dignity and respect into the process.”
Home Office response
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Rwanda has been recognised globally for their record in welcoming and integrating migrants and asylum seekers, and our own comprehensive assessment of Rwanda has found it is a safe and secure country.
“We have a strong relationship with the Rwandan government and are proud to be working together to deliver on this world-leading Migration and Economic Development Partnership with them.
“We remain committed to implementing the policy, which will help break the business model of criminal gangs and save lives.”
Conversation