People smuggler: the UK government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda

• A people smuggler claims that his clients are unaffected by the UK government’s proposal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
• It is the conclusion of a BBC Panorama investigation investigating the process by which thousands of migrants wind up requesting refuge on the beaches of southern England.
• In the UK, the people smuggler transfers hundreds of migrants.

A people smuggler claims that his clients are unaffected by the UK government’s proposal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. He is met by Jane Corbin at his Turkish headquarters.

I’m climbing the rickety steps of a safe house in an obscure Istanbul, Turkey lane as night is falling. I’ve been working with a reliable middleman for months to set up this meeting with a kingpin in the people-smuggling industry. It is the conclusion of a BBC Panorama investigation investigating the process by which thousands of migrants wind up requesting refuge on the beaches of southern England.

The Middle Eastern people smuggler is young, soft-spoken, and well-dressed in all black. If we do not identify who he is, he has agreed to inform me about his company. Outside the house, his security discreetly keeps watching.

I argue against him that it’s unlawful to smuggle people: “I am aware that this is against the law, but for me, humanity is more important than following the rules. We don’t demean or harm anyone; instead, we aid people, treat them nicely, and respect women.”

The Mediterranean Sea saw around 2,000 fatalities last year.

In order to send some migrants, especially single men, to Africa to have their asylum claims reviewed, the UK government negotiated a £120 million agreement with Rwanda in April.

The government claimed that the objective was to undermine the people smugglers’ business model and prevent record numbers of individuals from making the perilous English Channel crossing.

Over 30,000 individuals have already crossed in tiny boats this year, which is nearly the same number that did so the entire previous year.

In the UK, the people smuggler transfers hundreds of migrants. He freely acknowledges that his line of work is extremely lucrative and claims to handle it like a company.

No matter if it’s a family or just one person, everyone pays the same amount, he claims. “The entire expense of a vacation to Britain will be $17,000 [about £15,000].

“So how does he defend endangering people’s lives by sending them on perishing sea voyages in shoddy craft?

“Accidents are conceivable. In an effort to scare them away, “He asserts. “This route is risky and not worth it,” I tell them. You might pass away. I also tell his father and mother.”

He displays a document to us that contains a disclaimer that clients are supposed to sign admitting the dangers.

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