On Thursday 14 April, the Government announced a deal to ship off asylum seekers to Rwanda. The plan will see people who travel to the UK to seek safety here, packed off halfway round the world. 
These unspeakably cruel plans play fast and loose with the lives of refugees and will put people in danger. The situation in Rwanda for LGBTQI+ people, for example, is so poor that the UK accepts Rwandan refugees on the basis of their sexuality.
‘Offshoring’ asylum seekers is a tried-and-failed model
The deal will also fuel the smuggling trade, as people make new journeys to safety. A similar deal made by Israel with Rwanda in 2013 led to refugees being detained, beaten up in prison, and ultimately paying smugglers to escape Rwanda and make a new journey to safety. 
We know from Australia that offshore detention causes untold harm, with UN investigators describing detainees held on Papua New Guinea and Nauru as among the most traumatised people they had ever encountered. The poli…