UK considers adding Turkey, Egypt, Iraq to ‘safe’ nations list
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – As part of a plan to expand list of “safe” countries, the United Kingdom (UK) is considering the issue of deporting Turkish, Egyptian and Kurdish illegal migrants from Iraq to their home before a ruling on the legality of Rwanda Deportation Scheme, the Telegraph reported on Sunday.
The three nations are among the top 10 countries for migrants crossing the Channel to reach the UK this year, representing a significant portion of the nearly 4,000 migrants arrived by the end of August.
By adding Turkey, Egypt, and Iraq to the UK’s “safe” nations list the process of denying asylum claims would become easier and the repatriation would go faster, according to the report.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on the legality of the UK’s Rwanda scheme, which was blocked by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2022 for reasons related to safety, will take place next week.
The deportation will start in January if the scheme deemed lawful, but if not, there could be calls for the UK to leave ECHR.
The ongoing sectarian violence in Iraq would make it “complex” for the country to be added to the list.
The report noted that 80 percent of Iraqis who failed to be granted asylum are Kurdish.
It added that if the plan to expand the list were to succeed, it would probably reduce the number of migrants that would have to be sent to Rwanda and ease pressure on the central African state.