Hull charity Welcome House speaks out after '16 men' rounded up under Rwanda plan

A charity which supports asylum seekers in Hull has spoken out after the Home Office rounded up a group of what is believed to be at least 16 men under its Rwanda deportation scheme.

The Welcome House Charity said it discovered the men had gone only after they had been taken to a detention centre in Heathrow.

Their smart phones had been removed, but they were allowed to make a call on arrival.

It is feared they could be among the first sent to Rwanda under the government's controversial resettlement scheme.

Charity trustee Shirley Hart said they were trying to find a lawyer to challenge the process.

She said: "I'm shocked because I felt the Home Office were so slow in processing their applications. I'm shocked at the speed with which they put this into practice.

"Some of these men have been with us for two years, waiting for their claim to be processed by the Home Office.

"They have fled wars and conflicts, built a life and a community here and now we understand when they turned up for their regular reporting session at the police station, they were rounded up and taken to a detention centre.

"They're not even allowed to go home to get any belongings or pictures."

Under the new Rwanda policy, people seeking asylum who arrive in the UK on small boats crossing the Channel would be flown to the central African country to have their claims processed.

If granted asylum, they would remain in Rwanda and would be prevented from returning to the UK.

Anei Akon arrived in the UK almost two years ago after he fled war in South Sudan, where both his parents were killed.

He arrived in the UK on a small boat and now fears for his future.

He said: "When I first came to England I'd been living in camps on the street in France for nine months.

"I thought now I was in a safe country and everything was very nice. But now the government has changed everything.

"Now I'm scared to go to my house because maybe they will come and take me. It's very bad."

Mr Akon helped to set up a football team made up of asylum seekers in Hull who now compete in a local league.

Three of the side's players have been detained under the scheme.

Garare, also from Sudan, said: "I came here just to be safe. I didn't come to just enjoy life and have a nice time. I came to be safe.

"Now, I feel terrible, I can't sleep at night because they might come and take me."

In a statement the Home Office said: “The first illegal migrants set to be removed to Rwanda have now been detained by highly trained teams, following a series of nationwide operations.

“We will get flights off the ground to Rwanda in the next nine to eleven weeks, creating the deterrent effect to help break up the people smuggling business model and stop the boats.”

But last week charities and MPs denounced footage of asylum seekers being rounded up and detained, some in handcuffs.

Officials did not say how many people were detained, or where they were taken into custody, but campaigners accused the government of causing "fear, distress and anxiety".

Home Office director of enforcement Eddy Montgomery added: “It is vital that operational detail is kept to a minimum, to protect colleagues involved and those being detained, as well as ensuring we can deliver this large-scale operation as quickly as possible.”

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