Migrants being held in detention centres in the UK before they are sent to Rwanda could be tagged and released if legal action means the first deportation flight is delayed.
An urgent bid to block the June 14 flight will be heard at the High Court Friday.
Up to 130 people have been notified they could be removed on the inaugural flight, due to take off on Tuesday but increasingly likely to be delayed. Nine Afghans who fled to the UK after the Taliban takeover are among that number.
Lawyers for more than 90 migrants have already submitted legal challenges asking to stay in the UK, with the rest expected to follow soon.
The charity Care4Calais, the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) and pressure group Detention Action are seeking a judicial review of the Rwanda scheme — which they have described as “unlawful”.
The PCS union represents more than 80 per cent of Border Force staff.
Asylum Aid is the latest organisation to join the campaign after it said its lawyers had applied on Thursday for an urgent injunction to stop the flight until its judicial review claim could be heard.
The refugee charity, supported by fellow campaign group Freedom From Torture, has asked for the claim to be considered alongside the existing application at Friday’s hearing.
The wave of legal action has cast doubt over whether the first flight will go ahead as planned.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “We remain confident in our position, should the legal challenges require us going to the courts we will argue our case. It’s true to say the first flight is due for next week so we have that ready to go.”
In the event of a delay, Home Office officials are understood to be prepared to release and monitor those who are being detained with measures which could include placing them on immigration bail and requiring them to sign on regularly at a reporting centre.
The department said it has not ruled out using GPS tagging, although officials confirmed this was not the current policy for the group due to be sent to Rwanda next week.
The government may have to allow the detainees to leave if the flight cannot happen in a reasonable time frame, in line with rules on immigration detention powers which prevent people facing removal being held indefinitely.
Conservative MP Peter Bone called for new legislation allowing deportations to Rwanda to be brought to the House of Commons “immediately” if current plans are stopped in the courts.
Meanwhile, there have been suggestions Zambia is among other countries which have reportedly expressed interest in taking UK asylum seekers, depending on how the Rwanda deal works out.
So far this year 10,020 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK, analysis of government figures by the PA news agency shows.
The Rwanda policy does not rule out removing Ukrainians and Afghans fleeing conflict if they are deemed by the Home Office to have arrived in the UK illegally — prompting concern from campaigners — as the only nationality exempt from the scheme is Rwandans.
James Wilson, deputy director of Detention Action, said: “In her desire to punish people for seeking asylum by forcing them on to a plane to Rwanda, [Home Secretary] Priti Patel has overstepped her authority.
“By rushing through what we say is an unlawful policy, she is turning a blind eye to the many clear dangers and human rights violations that it would inflict on people seeking asylum.
“It’s vital that new government policies respect and uphold the laws that we all, as a society, have agreed to follow. That’s why we’re seeking an injunction to keep this plane to Rwanda from leaving the runway.”
Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, said the vast majority of the 100 or so people being detained pending removal to Rwanda that lawyers have spoken to are “overwhelmed by total shock and despair”.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said: “PCS is not prepared to countenance our members being put in potentially dangerous and traumatic situations, where they may be asked to act illegally.”
Dame Emma Thompson, who has an adopted son from the east African nation, has described the scheme as “eye-wateringly mad and callous” in interview with Sky News’ Beth Rigby, adding that the government’s approach “does not represent the soul of this country”.
Former minister Jesse Norman, who withdrew his long-standing support for Mr Johnson ahead of his confidence vote earlier this week, branded the policy “ugly, likely to be counterproductive and doubtful of legality”.
A Twitter account titled “Our Home Office”, purporting to be run by staff in the department, has been set up expressing its support for refugees amid reports that some civil servants oppose the plan.
It is understood senior Home Office officials are not aware of any staff who have refused to work on the policy.
A Home Office spokeswoman said the department “expected legal challenges, however we are determined to deliver this new partnership”, and that the policy “fully complies with international and national law”.
She added: “Currently all those in scope for the first flight to Rwanda are in detention — we have not ruled out the use of GPS tagging to monitor individuals if they are released from immigration detention.”
At the same time the department announced it had removed 33 foreign criminals, and two people “with no right to be in the UK”, to Albania.
Specs
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Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
AWARDS
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Company%20Profile
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