![Police officers surround a bus that was to be used to transport migrants from a hotel on May 2, 2024 in Peckham, south London. Protesters at the scene vowed to stop the removals [Carl Court/Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/m10news.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gettyimages-2150557246-17147301015651835893018139209.webp?fit=770%2C513&ssl=1 "Police officers surround a bus that was to be used to transport migrants from a hotel on May 2, 2024 in Peckham, south London. Protesters at the scene vowed to stop the removals [Carl Court/Getty Images] | M10News")
UK Home Office has initiated a crackdown on illegal immigration, leading to the arrest of several migrants who are set to be deported to Rwanda under the new immigration policy proposed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The Home Office has released a video showing immigration officers detaining people at their homes and taking them to deportation vans. These operations are part of a nationwide effort to begin deportations within the next 9 to 11 weeks.
BREAKING: The first people set to be removed to Rwanda have been detained. pic.twitter.com/2WWNhQVC1l
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) May 1, 2024
Interior minister James Cleverly stated that enforcement teams are swiftly detaining individuals without the right to be in the UK to expedite flights.
Last month, Parliament approved the controversial Safety of Rwanda Bill, permitting the deportation of asylum seekers who arrived illegally in Britain to Rwanda, despite the policy being declared unlawful by the UK Supreme Court last year.
Sunak, anticipated to call an election later this year, aims to deter people from crossing the English Channel in small boats and combat people-smuggling gangs through this immigration policy.
Unions and human rights charities have voiced concern over the wave of arrests, with some managing to block transfers to removal centres but finding it increasingly challenging to pursue legal action.
The Home Office targets an initial cohort of approximately 5,700 individuals who arrived in the UK without prior permission between January 2022 and June 2023 for deportation to Rwanda.
Government data reveals that the Home Office has lost contact with thousands of potential deportees, with only 2,143 located for detention so far, while more than 3,500 are unaccounted for, including some suspected to have fled to Ireland across the Northern Irish border.
Ministers have affirmed that enforcement teams will locate individuals who have failed to attend mandatory appointments with UK authorities.
