Overview

• The Trump administration has initiated deportations to Rwanda, starting with at least one Iraqi migrant, marking a shift in US immigration policy.
• A diplomatic cable reveals plans for a potential large-scale removal program, with the US funding Rwanda’s housing, integration, and administrative costs.
• The UK’s Rwanda deportation scheme, introduced under Boris Johnson in 2022, was scrapped by Labour in 2024 after costing taxpayers over £700 million without a single enforced removal.
• Former UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman criticized Labour’s decision to cancel the scheme, calling the US move a ‘humiliation’ for the UK and an example of effective border control.
• Labour has redirected funds from the scrapped Rwanda plan to a new Border Security Command aimed at combating people-smuggling operations.