LONDON: The UK Home Office has been accused of “denying reality” after it claimed that suicidal asylum seekers were “fine” with the prospect of being deported to Rwanda.
Documents seen by The Observer suggest that one Afghan man at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre at Heathrow had tried to kill himself twice in detention to avoid being deported to Rwanda, and threatened to do so again, but that officials had said afterward that he was prepared to go.
After attempting suicide on June 20 by hanging, having previously tried to poison himself and asking for a doctor, the documents show that he was moved to an isolated area of the center away from other asylum seekers after saying he would throw himself off a balcony.
“(The detainee) stated that he does not care why he is in detention or CSU (care and separation unit), he only cares about his mental health and his children,” the documents read.
A following section marked “Home Office comments,” however, made no reference to the incidents, saying: “The DET (detention engagement team) officer conveyed to him that he had been served with the paperwork and was due to be removed to Rwanda. He was fine with going there or Afghanistan provided we assist him with his mental health issues.”
Clare Moseley, founder of the charity Care4Calais, which has helped 125 people facing deportation to Rwanda, said: “It is deeply shocking that the Home Office is saying that someone who is suffering extreme mental anguish due to fear over their future and that of their children is fine with being forcibly removed to Rwanda, when the extent of their distress so clearly demonstrates the opposite. The Home Office is denying reality.”
Moseley added that several asylum seekers issued with deportation notices and in detention had not been given adequate access to medical services.
The policy of deporting people to Rwanda, championed by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, was dealt a setback on June 14 when the first flight to the country carrying asylum seekers was scrapped after an intervention from the European Court of Human Rights.
Plans for a second flight were put on hold last week after the start of the Conservative Party leadership contest.
The policy remains popular with Conservative voters, so much so that all five remaining leadership contenders have pledged to pursue it. The UK exiting the ECHR has also become a topic of discussion within the party.
A judicial review hearing into the policy scheduled for this week has been pushed back to September as a result of the leadership contest, with the Home Office set to release dozens of asylum seekers as a result of their deportations no longer being imminent. According to Moseley, 46 have been released so far, with 79 still being held.
A Home Office spokesperson said in a statement: “No one will be relocated (to Rwanda) if it is inappropriate or unsafe for them. We take the well-being and safety of those in our care incredibly seriously and have dedicated welfare teams across all sites who can escalate any instances of mental health or illness.”