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KIGALI. – British Home Secretary James Cleverly arrived in Rwanda yesterday to revive a plan to send asylum-seekers to the East African country that UK courts have blocked.

The UK government said Cleverly will meet his Rwandan counterpart, Vincent Biruta, to sign a new treaty and discuss the next steps for the troubled “migration and economic development partnership.”

“Rwanda cares deeply about the rights of refugees, and I look forward to meeting with counterparts to sign this agreement and further discuss how we work together to tackle the global challenge of illegal migration,” Cleverly said.

The Rwanda plan is central to the Conservative government’s self-imposed goal of stopping unauthorized asylum-seekers arriving on small boats across the English Channel.

Britain and Rwanda struck a deal in April 2022 for some migrants who cross the Channel to be sent to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be processed and, if successful, they would stay. The UK. government argues that the deportations will discourage others from making the risky sea crossing and break the business model of people-smuggling gangs. – AP