Migrant Voice director speaks on BBC news about Rwanda plan

Migrant Voice director speaks on BBC news about Rwanda plan

On June 11, Migrant Voice Director Nazek Ramadan was interviewed on BBC News about the government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

"Instead of offering protection we are offering deterrence. We are punishing people who have the agency to try to save their own lives ... We punish them, we treat them like luggage, ship them like cargo to a country 4,000 miles away," she said.

Most people who cross the Channel to seek asylum come from places like Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan, Nazek said, and their asylum applications have a very high rate of success. There are no legal routes to seek asylum for people outside the UK, and for too many people it is not possible to enter the country in any other way, so they are forced to risk their lives to come here.

Nazek explained how the plan won't be a deterrent to people coming to the UK. Instead, it will likely make them go underground, which makes them more vulnerable to exploitation and prevents them from building their lives in this country.

"What example is the UK giving the rest of the world?"

Watch the whole interview here.