On September 8, 2024, reports emerged that Germany may utilize buildings initially constructed by the UK in Rwanda to process asylum seekers, as confirmed by Joachim Stamp, a prominent member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). The facilities, originally intended for a UK program to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, may now serve as temporary shelters for migrants whose cases are under review in Germany.
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has historically expressed concerns about outsourcing the review of asylum claims to foreign countries. While the idea is being considered, Scholz has warned about the legal implications and potential challenges. The UK had previously planned to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, a move aimed at discouraging dangerous crossings of the English Channel, but the plan faced legal hurdles and was eventually scrapped.
Germany’s ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, highlighted key differences between the UK’s abandoned plan and Germany’s current deliberations. He emphasized that Germany has no plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, but rather, the proposal involves processing asylum claims abroad under international law, with the support of the United Nations.
The UK’s program would have permanently barred asylum seekers sent to Rwanda from returning to the UK. If their asylum claims were accepted in Rwanda, they would have been allowed to remain there or potentially seek refuge in other countries. Germany, however, faces its own pressures regarding migration, particularly from the far-right party Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), which has recently gained significant electoral support due to its anti-immigration stance.
During a discussion on Thursday, Stamp proposed a potential solution involving cooperation with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to handle migrants arriving via the eastern European borders. He acknowledged that no other country, aside from Rwanda, has agreed to this arrangement.
In November 2023, Chancellor Scholz indicated that Germany would consider the possibility of processing asylum claims in third countries. However, he cautioned that several legal issues need to be resolved before such a plan could be implemented.
When asked about Stamp’s comments, a spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on Germany’s internal discussions but reiterated the UK’s position on Rwanda. The UK’s opposition party, Labour, had criticized the Rwanda plan as expensive and ineffective, and the first act of the Labour government after winning elections was to scrap the program.
James Cleverly, a Conservative MP, criticized Labour’s decision to cancel the Rwanda plan, noting that Germany is now exploring the use of facilities built by the UK. He argued that Labour’s immigration policies are benefiting traffickers and causing harm to the EU’s border policies.
Despite these political debates, no asylum seekers were ever sent to Rwanda under the UK plan. However, the buildings in Kigali, designed to house migrants, were completed earlier this year. In April 2024, a source involved in the project told the BBC that the facilities were ready to receive migrants, but they have not yet been put to use.
The UK initially considered reclaiming part of the £220 million (around 390 billion Rwandan francs) it had provided to Rwanda for the program. However, Rwanda has stated that it has no obligation to return the funds.
As Germany explores its own solutions to the asylum crisis, the debate continues on how to handle the growing number of migrants in Europe and the role Rwanda may play in future asylum processing agreements.
