UK explored Rwanda-Style asylum agreement with Iraq

• UK government advises against travel to Iraq due to its dangerous nature.
• Whitehall officials proposed a similar plan to Rwanda’s scheme for processing migrants in a third country.
• Documents suggest a returns agreement with Baghdad for Iraqi citizens.

New documents have revealed that the UK considered sending asylum-seekers to Iraq for processing. The UK government advises against all travel to Iraq, considering it very dangerous.

But at one stage, Whitehall officials floated a plan similar to the Rwanda scheme to process migrants in a third-party country, with negotiations reportedly making “good recent progress.”

The documents, seen by Sky News, suggest that the UK has struck a returns agreement with Baghdad for Iraqi citizens, achieved without a formal announcement or acknowledgment, and with a plea for “discretion.”

The cache of papers sheds new light on the UK government’s approach to dealing with asylum-seekers and illegal migration. This includes a desire to improve relations with the Iranian Embassy in London to facilitate the repatriation of Iranian citizens, and efforts to establish return agreements with Eritrea and Ethiopia.

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