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Techne UK chief executive Michela Morizzo explains this week's polls

Voters still back plans to deportillegal migrantstoRwanda when the government has cleared legal hurdles, an exclusive poll commissioned by Express.co.uk has revealed. The findings by Techne UK show that 45 percent support the proposal while 41 percent oppose it. The survey of 1,624 people for Express.co.uk has come as Suella Braverman today insisted that the proposal, first put together by her predecessor Priti Patel, is safe and will go ahead.

Ms Braverman has just returned from a visit to Rwanda where she viewed facilities for illegal migrants.

The plan was always meant to be a deterrent for illegal migrants making the dangerous crossing in small boats across the English Channel to break the business model of people smugglers and human traffickers.

However, it was held up after a ruling by the strasbourg based European Court of Human Rights temporarily blocked the flights with a judge who was not named and where the UK government was unable initially to make its case.

The Techne UK survey revealed that a majority of those who expressed an opinion in every age and socio-economic category support the plan.

Additionally on balance both Leave (48 percent to 38 percent) voters and Remain supporters (46 percent to 44 percent) from 2016 back the proposal.

The main category against the Rwanda plan is 2019 Labour voters who backed Jeremy Corbyn's hard left push to become Prime Minister.

They oppose it by 48 percent to 40 percent.

The poll is problematic for the Labour Party who under Sir Keir Starmer's leadership have opposed the Rwanda plan.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has made opposing the deal with the east African country one of the main planks of her migration policy along with opening up "safe and legal routes" for migrants to legally claim asylum.

Ms Cooper branded the plan unworkable, unethical and extortionately expensive, adding that it was a damaging distraction from the urgent action the Government should be taking to go after the criminal gangs and sort out the asylum system.

But Ms Braverman has argued that Labour "does not have a plan" and just opposes the measures brought forward by the Government.

She has also warned that Labour's proposals to open up more safe and legal routes will open the doors to millions of illegal migrants.

Ms Braverman is currently pushing the Illegal Migration Bill through Parliament which will allow the government to deport migrants arriving here illegally within 28 days.

Last year 45,000 people arrived on small boats across the Channel and there are fears that with milder weatcher coming thousands more will start to come over this year.

Ms Braverman this morning was confronted by the BBC with claims that five years ago a group of refugees were shot in Rwanda.

But she dismissed the out of date view of an emerging African country which has just been allowed to join and host the Commonwealth.

She said: "That might be 2018, we're looking at 2023 and beyond.

"The High Court, senior expert judges, have looked into the detail of our arrangement with Rwanda and found it to be a safe country and found our arrangements to be lawful."

She insisted that Rwanda has "a track record of successfully resettling and integrating people who are refugees or asylum seekers".

Originally posted here:
Braverman's migrant crisis Rwanda deportation plan backed by public in exclusive poll - Express

FIRST ON FOX: Nearly two dozen Republicans are pushing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for answers on policies related to the ongoing crisis at the southern border -- coming after fiery hearings in both the House and Senate and a ruling by a federal judge that dealt a blow to the administrations policies that allow migrants to be paroled into the U.S.

"The responsibilities of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) include maintaining the security of our nations borders and the administration and enforcement of our nations immigration laws," the 22 Republicans led by Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla. "This is not occurring."

The lawmakers pointed to a recent decision by a Florida judge to block an administration policy that allows for the release of migrants via humanitarian parole into U.S. using Alternatives to Detention known as "Parole + ATD" ruling it to be unlawful. The judge said that the administration "effectively turned the Southwest Border into a meaningless line in the sand and little more than a speedbump for aliens flooding into the country."

Mayorkas has defended his agency, saying it is bringing order and humanity to border policy while simultaneously dealing with a hemisphere-wide challenge. Republicans, however, have tied the historic migrant crisis now into its third year to the administrations policies -- including those related to parole.

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES BIDEN BORDER POLICY UNLAWFUL, A SPEEDBUMP FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANTS

Former Oklahoma state Sen. Josh Brecheen, Republican candidate for U.S. House, is pictured at a rally in support of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin State, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

"A major component of these failed policies is DHS disregard for enforcing existing immigration law, such as your departments abuse of parole," the lawmakers say.

The use of humanitarian parole is defined by statute as being limited to a "case-by-case basis" for "urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit." The administration has used not only the parole + ATD program to release migrants into the U.S., but has also introduced a policy announced in January that allows for up to 30,000 migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua to be paroled in if they have not crossed illegally and meet other conditions -- including having a sponsor in the U.S.

Over 20 Republican states have sued over that policy, saying it is unlawful. The administration has said that the policy has contributed to a sharp drop in encounters at the border in January and February, including among those nationalities, and says it shows that expanding lawful pathways is an effective strategy to handle the surge. DHS also says it is confident that the parole processes it uses are permitted under the statute that limits the use of parole.

The lawmakers, however, say the policies are "negatively impacting our constituents lives" and ask a series of questions to discover the extent of the policies. They are seeking the number of migrants who have been granted parole since the beginning of the administration, as well as the demographics and nationalities of those paroled. They are also seeking statutory support for a mass parole program like the January program.

The lawmakers also want data on the number of migrants released into the U.S. without a court date, the number who have made a "credible fear" claim -- which marks the beginning of an asylum claim. The lawmakers on the letter include Reps Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Chip Roy, R-Texas, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Eli Crane, R-Ariz.

MAYORKAS AGAIN REFUSES TO CALL BORDER SURGE A CRISIS, SAYS IT WOULD INDICATE WITHDRAWAL FROM OUR MISSION

Additionally, they ask why DHS claims a lack of resources for a drop in ATD implementation, while also reducing the number of ICE detention beds. ICEs latest budget request drops the number of beds by 9,000 from 34,000 to 25,000 -- although DHS officials have said that a border contingency fund allows for the number of beds to be increased back to 34,000 if required.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, DHS said it "responds to Congressional correspondence directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight."

The scrutiny comes after some fiery hearings in both the House and the Senate where Mayorkas was grilled over his handling of the crisis. Multiple Republicans called for him to step down. Mayorkas backed the policies, and pointed to the recent drop in apprehensions at the border as a sign they are working. DHS has also pushed Republicans to accede to border funding requests made by the administration.

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But the border is likely to be under scrutiny in the coming weeks ahead of the end of the Title 42 order in May -- which has been used to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That ability will end on May 11 along with the end of the public health emergency.

See the original post here:
House Republicans want answers from Mayorkas on 'abuse of parole' at the border after fiery hearings - Fox News

Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the Governments migrant camp plans for RAF Scampton will ruin the legacy of the Dambusters.

The Labour leader said it was completely wrong to turn the disused military base in Lincolnshire - the wartime base for the Dambusters and former home of the Red Arrows - into a camp for up to 1,700 asylum seekers.

He has joined Sir Edward Leigh, the local MP, and the council and leading historians in opposing the scheme.

They claim it will scupper 300 million plans to preserve the bases historic runway as an operational aviation and aerospace hub, as well as a new national heritage site.

Speaking during a visit to Scunthorpe, Sir Keir said: I think the Government is completely wrong to press ahead with the plan to put 2,000 asylum seekers at Scampton.

It will cut across, drive a coach and horses through a really important initiative for investment, for jobs, of tech jobs, in an area that desperately needs them.

The idea of cutting through all that is wrong in principle. Thats why so many local people are so concerned about it, because they can glimpse the future there and the Government is about to take it away from them.

It is also likely to ruin the legacy of the Dambusters. You know, this is an iconic site.

So, the Government is wrong, completely wrong. They should reverse their decision. Im not surprised at the level and scale of local opposition to what is a completely wrong decision by the Government.

I dont think theyve even been there to scope out what this would do and the impact it would have on local communities.

On Wednesday, 437 people were detected crossing the English Channel in small boats - the highest number on a single day so far this year, the Home Office said.

The previous high for this year was 321 people, on January 25.

The cumulative number of crossings this year stands at a provisional total of 4,431. Total crossings in 2022 were 45,755.

Ten boats were detected on Wednesday, suggesting that an average of 44 people crossed the Channel per vessel.

RAF Scampton is one of five sites identified by the Home Office to house asylum seekers. These include the former RAF Wethersfield base in Braintree, Essex, the Catterick Garrison barracks in Rishi Sunaks north Yorkshire constituency, the former Northeye prison in Bexhill and a barge in Dorset.

The Dambusters, or 617 squadron, was formed at RAF Scampton, from where 19 Lancaster bombers departed for the 1943 raid to destroy three dams in the Ruhr valley in Germanys industrial heartlands, with bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis, an engineer.

West Lindsey district council has negotiated a 300 million deal with development partner Scampton Holdings Ltd to turn RAF Scampton into a centre of aerospace technology and create 1,000 jobs while preserving its rich heritage.

The council has begun legal proceedings against the Home Office in an attempt to block the plan on the basis that they are breaching planning rules.

It argues that because the Home Office is proposing development of the site for longer than 12 months, it should seek full planning approval.

Forty of Britains leading historians - including Sir Antony Beevor, Sir Max Hastings and Dan Snow - signed an open letter, saying that to erase Scamptons heritage, rather than preserve, protect and enhance it further, would be a scandalous desecration of immeasurable recklessness.

The Home Office maintains that the sites are needed to tackle the migrant crisis, which has seen 51,000 asylum seekers housed in hotels at a cost of more than 6 million.

It says the alternative, rudimentary cheaper accommodation will also act as a deterrent to migrants seeking to cross the Channel to reach the UK.

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Sir Keir Starmer: Migrant camp will 'ruin legacy of the Dambusters' - The Telegraph

Turkey is counting down to elections on 14 May, with the economy the single most important issue for voters.

But the migrant crisis is also seen as critical -- not just for the public, but for the political parties vying for power.

The last decade has witnessed a wave of arrivals with people fleeing the war in Syria. Many passed through Turkey and went on to Europe, but millions remained in the first point of safety.

Some surveys show that as the number of foreigners has increased, so has anti-migrant sentiment.

That has meant immigration issues are a hot election subject, which could have implications for the EU as well.

The opposition'National Alliance'bloc is hoping to gain votes by pledging to send two million Syrians back to their homeland within two years. According to official figures, Turkey hosts 3,447,837 Syrian refugees registered under temporary protection as of March 2023.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, facing harsh criticism for his migration policy from his own supporters, has tried to appease both sides.

Last year, he reiterated that his government was working on a return scheme to send one million Syrians back voluntarily. Days later, he said: "We will never expel them from this land. Our door is wide open. We'll continue to host them and not throw them into the lap of murderers."

Five months before the election, Erdogan announced more than half a million Syrians had chosen to go home, saying voluntary returns were "accelerating".

Migrants have become a bargaining tool between Ankara and the European Union.

In 2016, the EU-Turkey Refugee Deal was struck, which aimed to stop the influx by sending migrants caught entering Greece irregularly back to Turkey. For every Syrian returned, another would be resettled in the EU.

In return, Brussels promised to give Ankara 6 billion to help accommodate Syrians, besides visa liberalisation for Turkish nationals.

For Professor Kemal Kirici of the Turkey Project at the Brookings Institution, the deal was "utterly successful" for the EU, though he doubted if a similar deal could be struck in the future.

Some 37,000 Syrians have been relocated to Western countries under this one-for-one principle.

According to Kirici, the most feasible and realistic solution for Turkey would be to use refugees to help rebuild afterFebruary's devastating earthquake, rather than expel them.

He pointed to a UN proposal for the EU and West to give Turkey trade concessions if it createsformal and sustainable employment for both Syrian refugees and locals.

Commenting on theproposal, Kirici writes: "It would reduce Syrian refugees dependence on humanitarian assistance, help alleviate public resentment, and diminish the prospects of secondary movements".

He told Euronews Syrians there was strong support for the plan.

"Until last year, Syrian refugees were increasingly feeling integrated into Turkish society," he said.

But growing public resentment has meant refugees are now "doubting their presence and acceptance", making them want to leave.

Recent years have seen growing anti-Syrian sentiment in Turkey, with the economy taking a tumble.

In 2017 only around 32% of Syrians wanted to settle in a third country, in 2021 this number had risen to 64%.

Meanwhile, Kirici claims migrants are unlikely to be a top priority for the new government, which will face more pressing issues such as the economy.

Regardless of the election result, migration will likely remain a thorny issue for years to come.

"Deportation and returns have been a hot topic for a long time," said Dr Sibel Karadag, an expert on migration and borders at Kadir Has University. "Western countries are deporting migrants to their neighbouring countries and the neighbours sending them to the countries of origin."

She pointed to an official policy of dilution and sweeping in Turkey, where migrants are sent back to areas of northern Syria under Turkish control, "under the name of voluntary returns".

This will continue, according toKaradag.

But more profound changes may be afoot.

In its election campaign, the opposition bloc outlined afour-step solution to the migrant crisis in Turkey.

First, it wants to try and make peace with the country's neighbours and "sit down" with the Syrian government

Erdogan's party is yet to announce its election manifesto. However, his desire to negotiate with Syria and efforts to relocate Syrians are key parts of the election campaign.

For both experts, making peace with Damascus is not a possibility, while Ankara has troops in northern Syria.

Migration and border governance will also remain key to EU-Turkey relations, according to Karadag.

"The EU has aimed to externalise this issue to Turkey as part of its wider global approach to control migration and Turkey has ... turn[ed] it [migration] into multi bargaining tool", she argues.

Ankara has used "the threat" of opening its border to bargain "additional financial support or tacit political tolerance for the regime", Karadag adds.

In February 2020, Erdogan bused thousands of migrants to the Greek border, warning that more would be sent unless international support was forthcoming and the EU stopped criticising its military intervention in Syria.

Violent clashes erupted at the border, with Greek police stopping anyone from crossing.

For Karadag, if Turkey tried to return its migrant population en mass, we may see similar scenes again, though the Turkey-Greece border is much deadlier with proven pushbacks from Greek security forces.

"The European Union will continue to support any kind of extra-legal action to stop migrants reaching its doorstep," she says.

"The first task [for the new government] should be to build a critical and strong diplomacy with rights-based principles against EU's migration and border policies."

"[It] should carry out a policy that puts human dignity at the forefront."

Original post:
What will happen to Turkey's EU migrant deal if the opposition wins? - Euronews

A severe housing shortage and an influx of refugees and migrants contribute to the overall public mood of discontent in Ireland. The government is looking for solutions to support both local communities and newcomers.

Thousands of Irish families face the prospect of eviction as the government's winter eviction ban ended on March 31. The main opposition party, Sein Fein, an advocate for social and housing issues, said it be would "cruel and wrong" to force thousands of families into the streets at a time when homelessness in the country is already at record levels.

Amid the severe housing crisis, many individuals "are experiencing the very harmful crossover of homelessness while seeking asylum," said Olivia Teahan of the Migrant and Refugees Rights Center, Nasc.

"People arriving in Ireland are often experiencing high levels of trauma, isolation, language barriers, and lack of legal and medical support, with no contacts in Ireland. They face further challenges when left to survive alone, homeless and at risk," she added.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Ireland also took on a significant number of Ukrainian refugees.

"Ireland accepted more refugees per capita than the United Kingdom or France," noted Claire Kumar, a senior research fellow at the Open Data Institute (ODI).

Last year, the government struggled to accommodate the influx of almost 60,000 Ukrainian refugees alongside around 20,000 nationals coming from other countries. Multiple media reports highlighted the plights of mainly Ukrainian refugees sleeping in government-provided tents during the winter months when temperatures plunged to minus degrees.

In January, the government had to resort to publishing a message on social media, asking refugees who were already in a safe place not to travel to Ireland because the country was not able to accommodate them.

The number of Ukrainians requesting temporary protection in Ireland the same month dropped by 2,000 individuals compared to December -- representing one of the steepest drops across the European Union.

The housing crisis in Ireland is so entrenched in the collective mind that seven out of 10 young people say they are thinking about moving abroad simply because they cannot afford housing.

"The housing issue is a huge challenge and for the far-right; it is an obvious place to manipulate," said Kumar. "With the significant increase of asylum seekers, and very high numbers of Ukrainians, spreading discontent is an easy strategy."

The lack of housing, pressure to accommodate refugees, record homelessness and the eviction ban about to expire were all factors for a perfect storm to brew: In November, around 100 people gathered in Dublin's East Wall to protest against its use as a refugee center.

"Far-right groups use terms like 'invasion' and slogans like 'Ireland is full,' a direct reference to the housing crisis," said Kumar.

"This is alla recent development in Ireland. Events even becameviolent with anattack on a migrant campin north Dublin by a river."

Also read: Ireland: Protests and new policy proposals place focus on migration

"What has been good is that at a community level, the reaction was immediate with counter protests in many small towns and a very large protest in support of migrants in Dublin," Kumar added.

Irish politicians have also spoken out against the anti-migrant rhetoric, with the President Michael Higgins calling the recent "anti-migrant" sentiment "unforgivable."

"The far-right threat is being contained and government policies show unity of approach:the refugee accommodation crisis has to be tackled in parallel with the wider housing challenge, both of equal importance," said David Donoghue, a senior research fellow at ODI.

Teahan echoed this opinion, referring to plans of opening three new city center hubs to support Ukrainian families.

"We very much welcome plans to deliver accommodation solutions, but we are hoping that any new developments will meet the requirements and commitments outlined in the White Paper on Ending Direct Provision," she said.

Also read: Ukrainian refugees in the UK face homelessness as housing schemes end

Ireland's system of institutional accommodation, called Direct Provision, has become known as a recipe for limbo for asylum seekers: "They should be living in communities butmanyget stuck in a confined and restricted systembecause of significant delays in processing asylum applications, and because the severity of the housing crisis can make leaving Direct Provision to move into the community very difficult," said Kumar.

"Its vital that reception centers for newly arriving international protection applicants would have built-in integration supports on arrival.It's also crucial that the government prioritize mid- and longer-term accommodation strategies going forward," said Teahan.

Immigration was once a minor political issue in Ireland compared to other themes. With elections due to be held in less than a year, it is about to become a lot more important.

Also read: Accommodation troubles continue for Afghan refugees in UK

Read more from the original source:
How Ireland's housing crisis affects refugees and migrants - InfoMigrants