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https://theconversation.com/how-the-uks-plan-to-send-asylum-seekers-to-rwanda-is-21st-century-imperialism-writ-large-181501>
"In announcing his plan to partner with Rwanda to manage migration, Prime
Minister Boris Johnson claimed, on April 14 2022, that the UK is “a beacon of
openness and generosity”. He lauded the great British tradition of offering
sanctuary to those who seek it through legal routes while outlining how he
intends to curb what he termed illegal migration.
Under this new scheme, people claiming asylum in the UK are to be relocated to
Rwanda, where their cases will be processed. If they are granted asylum, they
will be encouraged to remain in Rwanda for at least five years.
While the UK government has promised smooth operations, it is unclear how
asylum seekers relocated from the UK might be accommodated in Rwanda, beyond
temporary plans to convert a former hostel into a detention centre. There is
also no sense of what will happen to those who are not granted asylum.
Religious, international and human rights organisations are questioning the
legality of this process. However, this attempt to move the immigration process
offshore is not unique. It is part of a wider strategy deployed by the powerful
governments of richer nations, from Australia to the EU, to discourage unwanted
arrivals by creating conditions that are hostile or inhumane.
And while they outsource migration management to low-income countries, these
richer countries are furthering their own geopolitical interests. Human
displacement is becoming a motor for what experts – from Canadian activist and
author Harsha Walia to British political scientist John Smith – identify as
21st-century imperialism. Migration is not merely a consequence of poverty,
inequalities, conflict and environmental crises. It is a political tool."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
