'Can’t detain people forever in this country!' Border force chief backs Rwanda plan
THE RWANDA policy has been backed by Former Chief Immigration Officer Kevin Saunders who said coming to the UK from across the English Channel is illegal.
Rwanda plan: Former immigration officer discusses scheme
Mr Saunders discussed why consequences were needed even for those who broke the law by crossing from the English Channel via France into the UK.
The Former Chief Immigration Officer told journalist Anne Diamond how "unfair" it was that people were breaking the law and not expecting any repercussions from UK law enforcement.
The new immigration policy plan to send people who have entered the UK illegally to Rwanda for processing has caused a divide in Britain, with people who agree with the policy backing the Government and those who don't support it protesting it.
Mr Saunders also claimed the Rwanda plan would make it easier for the Government to securely detain people who enter illegally.
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Mr Saunders told GB News: "If they've come across the Channel, now! They have broken the law.
"And if you broke the law, then you expect a consequence, these people break the law and they don't expect any consequence whatsoever, it's so unfair."
Ms Diamond said: "If I come into this country illegally, and I've been tagged, and I was sent somewhere like the camp at Linton-Ouse.
"And I was allowed to just come and go, fairly freely, what would stop me from having my tag cut off? because I wouldn't care, and then just disappearing into the community?"
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Mr Saunders added: "Nothing, nothing at all, no and people are doing that, we can't securely detain everybody that comes into the country.
"This is why we have the Rwanda plan because we're going to remove them."
Activism groups in the UK pushed back on the deportation attempts this week claiming the plan was morally wrong.
In the end, the Government cancelled the deportation flights as activists waited outside of the airport in hopes that they would.
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"Today’s announcement is another critical step towards delivering that partnership and, while we know attempts will now be made to frustrate the process and delay removals, I will not be deterred and remain fully committed to delivering what the British public expect."
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Labour MP Yvette Cooper has been one memeber of Parliament to speak out about her stance on the policy.
Ms Cooper wrote on Twitter: "Home Sec knows her policy is unworkable, unethical & cd make trafficking worse. Yet she chartered a plane she never expected to fly & wrote Rwanda a £120m cheque because she just wants a row & someone else to blame. It's Government by gimmick. Our country is better than this."
Ms Cooper added: "If she was serious about stopping criminal gangs she wouldn’t have asked the National Crime Agency who tackle them to draw up plans for 20% cuts. She wd know that the Israel/Rwanda deal increased trafficking & smuggling & she wd work night & day w France to crack down on gangs."
