UK Considered Sending Asylum-Seekers to Dangerous Iraq for Processing: Leaked Documents
New documents have revealed that the UK had contemplated sending asylum-seekers to Iraq for processing, despite the country being deemed dangerous and the UK government advising against all travel there.
This plan, which resembles the Rwanda scheme to process migrants in a third-party country, was reportedly discussed among Whitehall officials, with negotiations allegedly making "good recent progress."
The UK has previously struck a returns agreement with Iraq for the repatriation of Iraqi citizens.
This agreement was achieved without any formal announcement or acknowledgement, according to the documents obtained by Sky News.
The documents shed new light on the UK government's approach to managing asylum-seekers and illegal migration.
Additionally, the documents indicate that the UK sought to improve relations with the Iranian Embassy in London to facilitate the repatriation of Iranian citizens.
Furthermore, the UK was reportedly working on establishing return agreements with Eritrea and Ethiopia.
It is important to note that Iraq is considered a dangerous country, and the UK government advises against all travel there due to security concerns.
Despite this, UK officials considered sending asylum-seekers to Iraq for processing as part of a plan similar to the Rwanda scheme.
The negotiations for this plan reportedly made "good recent progress," according to the documents.
The UK has already struck a returns agreement with Iraq for the repatriation of Iraqi citizens, which was achieved without any formal announcement or acknowledgement.
The documents also reveal that the UK was seeking to improve relations with the Iranian Embassy in London to facilitate the repatriation of Iranian citizens and was working on establishing return agreements with Eritrea and Ethiopia.