London:
Britain has sent its first asylum seeker to Rwanda as part of a controversial but voluntary program for irregular migrants whose claims have been rejected, British media reported on Tuesday.
The British government last week passed a heavily criticized law allowing the deportation of irregular migrants to Rwanda.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government plans to start deportations in July.
But the man who left Britain on Monday had agreed to be sent to Kigali after his asylum rejection late last year, several media outlets said.
The African national left on a commercial flight, media said.
In exchange for agreeing to leave Britain, he will receive up to £3,000 ($3,750), according to government sources quoted by the Times newspaper.
The British Home Office, contacted by AFP, did not confirm the reports.
“We are now able to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as part of our partnership for migration and economic development,” a government spokesperson said.
“This deal will allow people without immigration status in Britain to be moved to a safe third country, where they will be supported to rebuild their lives.”
The British government said on Tuesday it expects to deport 5,700 migrants to Rwanda this year under a plan aimed at discouraging the arrival of migrants on small boats from northern Europe.
More than 57,000 people arrived on small boats after attempting to cross the Channel between January 2022 and June last year, according to official statistics.
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