LONDON: The UK interior minister has defended a parliamentary aide who called the government plan to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda “crap,” in a leaked audio revealed by the BBC Sunday.
A controversial law by the Conservative government allowing irregular migrants arriving in the UK to be deported to Rwanda was finally passed in April, after months of parliamentary wrangling.
But in the recording James Sunderland, a parliamentary aide and Conservative party candidate, was heard saying: “the policy is crap, ok? It’s crap.”
“But it’s not about the policy. It’s about the effect of the policy,” he went on to say, speaking at a Youth Conservatives conference in April.
“There is no doubt at all that when those first flights take off it will send such a shockwave across the Channel,” Sunderland clarified.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said he was “surprised,” when asked about the audio, before saying Sunderland was making a “counterintuitive statement to grab the attention.”
Cleverly told Sky News on Sunday that his aide Sunderland “is completely supportive of the deterrent effect.”
Sunderland told the BBC he was “disappointed” to have been recorded at a private event, and said although the policy is “not the be all and end all,” it is “part of a wider response.”
No flights deporting asylum seekers have actually taken off yet for the African country, due to lengthy legal challenges and with parliament dissolved ahead of a looming general election on July 4.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the policy would only come into effect after the election, if he was re-elected.
The opposition Labour party — which looks poised to replace the Conservatives — has promised to scrap the Rwanda plan.
The government cleared a law allowing some asylum seekers to be deported in April, circumventing a Supreme Court ruling that said sending migrants to Rwanda in this way would be illegal because it “would expose them to a real risk of ill-treatment.”
Supporters of the Rwanda policy say it will deter tens of thousands of annual cross-Channel arrivals by small boats, and insist the policy is already having an impact.
More than 12,000 irregular migrants have crossed the Channel to Britain on small boats this year, according to government data.
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Aide to UK minister calls Rwanda migrant plan ‘crap’ in leaked audio
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Aide to UK minister calls Rwanda migrant plan ‘crap’ in leaked audio
Inside the Mexican resort that was the final hideout of ‘El Mencho’
- The roar of machine guns and drone of helicopters shook the luxurious resort where Mexico’s most-wanted cartel boss hid on Sunday
TAPALPA:The roar of machine guns and drone of helicopters shook the luxurious resort where Mexico’s most-wanted cartel boss hid on Sunday, plunging tourists enjoying the picturesque western Mexican town of Tapalpa into panic.
Nemesio Oseguera, the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader known as “El Mencho,” attempted to flee the audacious Mexican military operation in the mountainous area of the Jalisco state but was wounded during the escape and died while in transport to a hospital.
“It was terrifying... you could hear machine guns firing from the ground into the air and from the air to the ground,” a tourist who arrived at the resort the night before the operation told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity for his safety.
The gunfire erupted around dawn.
“It gradually increased, and then the weapons were loud,” the man said, estimating the shootout lasted a couple of hours.
Tourists who rented the exclusive cabins were allowed to leave on Tuesday, following an initial request from the mayor’s office on Sunday to shelter in place.
Last date
Oseguera had his last date in the cabin resort with a girlfriend, who officials say was key to tracking the drug lord.
He had maintained a low profile at the Tapalpa Country Club, according to AFP interviews.
“I didn’t know there were people like that (here),” said one young domestic worker who lives in the area, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
But a tourist, who also asked not to be identified, said he had heard that the drug lord “was in this region.”
He said he imagined what might happen if they tried to arrest the cartel boss.
“It was a very tense moment,” he said of the violence, which involved a firefight between government special forces and the cartel’s security detail.
Authorities on Tuesday prevented people from approaching the scene of the battle.
The drug lord’s two-story stone resort house, which displayed large religious images on the exterior, was surrounded by hundreds of shell casings and an abandoned Jeep with its doors open, according to residents.
Mexican media outlets published images of the cabin’s luxurious interior, showing furniture with open drawers and unmade beds.
A table with religious images and candles, a handwritten prayer and medication for the kidney problems that had reportedly plagued Oseguera for years could also be seen.
Incendiary revenge
Oseguera’s killing made Tapalpa, a town known for its scenic charm and ecotourism activities, the epicenter of a wave of retaliation from the CJNG that spread to 20 of Mexico’s 32 states.
“They were burning cars and buses on the outskirts of Tapalpa,” the domestic worker recalled.
By Tuesday, the town was desolate.
Tourists, who usually spend weekends in this wooded retreat, began to head home.
str-lp/lga/lb
Nemesio Oseguera, the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader known as “El Mencho,” attempted to flee the audacious Mexican military operation in the mountainous area of the Jalisco state but was wounded during the escape and died while in transport to a hospital.
“It was terrifying... you could hear machine guns firing from the ground into the air and from the air to the ground,” a tourist who arrived at the resort the night before the operation told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity for his safety.
The gunfire erupted around dawn.
“It gradually increased, and then the weapons were loud,” the man said, estimating the shootout lasted a couple of hours.
Tourists who rented the exclusive cabins were allowed to leave on Tuesday, following an initial request from the mayor’s office on Sunday to shelter in place.
Last date
Oseguera had his last date in the cabin resort with a girlfriend, who officials say was key to tracking the drug lord.
He had maintained a low profile at the Tapalpa Country Club, according to AFP interviews.
“I didn’t know there were people like that (here),” said one young domestic worker who lives in the area, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
But a tourist, who also asked not to be identified, said he had heard that the drug lord “was in this region.”
He said he imagined what might happen if they tried to arrest the cartel boss.
“It was a very tense moment,” he said of the violence, which involved a firefight between government special forces and the cartel’s security detail.
Authorities on Tuesday prevented people from approaching the scene of the battle.
The drug lord’s two-story stone resort house, which displayed large religious images on the exterior, was surrounded by hundreds of shell casings and an abandoned Jeep with its doors open, according to residents.
Mexican media outlets published images of the cabin’s luxurious interior, showing furniture with open drawers and unmade beds.
A table with religious images and candles, a handwritten prayer and medication for the kidney problems that had reportedly plagued Oseguera for years could also be seen.
Incendiary revenge
Oseguera’s killing made Tapalpa, a town known for its scenic charm and ecotourism activities, the epicenter of a wave of retaliation from the CJNG that spread to 20 of Mexico’s 32 states.
“They were burning cars and buses on the outskirts of Tapalpa,” the domestic worker recalled.
By Tuesday, the town was desolate.
Tourists, who usually spend weekends in this wooded retreat, began to head home.
str-lp/lga/lb
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