German official suggests Rwanda scheme using UK facilities
This time last year, the former Home Secretary Suella Braverman paid a visit to the housing units under construction in Kigali, which will be used to accommodate migrants.
Germany might be able to utilize the resources provided by the UK to help process certain asylum seekers in Rwanda, according to the country's migration agreements commissioner.
Joachim Stamp, a member of the Free Democratic Party, which is a smaller party in the current ruling group, proposed that housing set aside for individuals deported from the United Kingdom could be used by Germany instead.
Yet, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has doubted the idea of processing asylum requests in other countries and it is unlikely to be pursued further.
The recent government in the UK has decided not to move forward with the Rwanda plan, which was initially introduced by the Conservatives and would have involved sending certain asylum seekers to Rwanda.
It was intended to discourage individuals from making the dangerous journey across the Channel in small boats to get to the UK.
The German ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, highlighted the differences between the UK's recently scrapped plan and the ongoing discussions in Germany.
"Just to make it clear, the German government has no intention of removing asylum seekers to Rwanda," he stated.
The topic at hand is the handling of asylum requests in countries outside the refugee's homeland in adherence to global humanitarian regulations, with assistance from the United Nations.
According to the initial UK strategy, asylum seekers transferred to Rwanda would have been prohibited from coming back to the UK.
If their request is approved in Rwanda, they may be granted permission to stay there. If not, they can apply to reside in the country through different means or request asylum in another nation.
Similar to the situation in the United Kingdom, the German government is facing challenges in addressing illegal migration, especially following the rise of the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party in state elections.
During an interview on the Table Briefings podcast, Mr. Stamp proposed a plan that would focus on individuals crossing the borders of the EU's eastern regions. He suggested that this initiative could be managed by the United Nations Refugee Agency, also known as the UNHCR.
He stated: "At the moment, no other country has offered to help, except for Rwanda."
In November, Mr Scholz said he would look into the possibility of reviewing asylum applications in other countries.
However, the Chancellor of Germany warned that there were legal concerns regarding the implementation of such a plan.
When questioned about what Mr. Stamp said, a spokesperson from Downing Street stated that they were not going to discuss conversations between different countries.
The policies of other countries are their own business. We have already made our position clear on Rwanda.
The Labour party has labelled the former government's Rwanda project as a costly "trick" and canceled it after coming into power.
The Conservative Party's James Cleverly, who is serving as the shadow home secretary, expressed his disapproval of Labour's decision to cancel the Rwanda plan as their initial action upon taking office.
"Germany now desires to utilize the infrastructure we constructed."
Labour's irresponsible immigration policies only benefit people smugglers and the EU.
Legal issues delayed the plan, and no migrants were sent to Rwanda as part of the program.
Nevertheless, housing for migrants has already been constructed in Kigali, the capital city, using funds from the UK. The manager of one hostel mentioned to the BBC in April that it was prepared to begin accommodating people.
The UK government has mentioned that it is exploring options for reclaiming a portion of the £220m given to Rwanda as part of the program.
The Rwandan government has stated that they are not required to repay the funds.
