British Home Secretary visits Rwanda in a bid to accelerate deportation deal

Rwandan authorities greeted the arrival on Saturday of British Home Secretary Suella Braverman on a two-day trip to the country in a bid to accelerate the implementation of a controversial deal to send migrants arriving by boat in the UK to the East African country.

The deportation agreement announced last year allows UK authorities to send to Rwanda asylum seekers while their claims are processed.

Illegal migrants are yet to be sent to the East African country, though Britain has already paid Rwanda US$170 million dollars under the deal.

This week the UK government has also unveiled the Illegal Migration Bill, its toughest measure yet, which calls for people arriving by unauthorized routes to be detained, deported to their homeland, or a safe third country and banned from ever re-entering the UK.

Every year thousands of migrants from around the world travel to northern France in the hope of reaching the UK, drawn by family ties, the English language or the perceived ease of getting a job.