The Home Office's £15m Investment in Returns Partnerships

The Home Office is investing £15 million in returns partnerships with 11 countries to boost the number of deportations of small boat migrants. This comes after the tragic incident in the English Channel where 12 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, lost their lives attempting to cross.

The department is partnering with charities and non-profit organizations to support migrants with reintegration upon their return to their home countries. This includes providing assistance with accommodation, cash, food packages, family tracing and reunification, mental health and employment support, and transportation to onward destinations.

The 11 countries involved in this initiative are Albania, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Nigeria, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. While citizens from these countries can be returned if their asylum claims are rejected, some, like Iraq, have concerning human rights records.

The Home Office hopes that by supporting the reintegration of deported migrants, they will be better protected and less likely to attempt to return to the UK. This initiative also aims to tackle illegal migration, remove those with no right to remain, and protect the vulnerable.

The government is also increasing detention spaces to support the higher pace of removals. This includes reopening and adding beds across immigration removal centers. Additionally, they are investing in a Border Security Command to tackle smuggling gangs and speeding up detentions and returns.

The Labour Party, now in power, hopes this approach will be more effective than the Conservative government's Rwanda deportation scheme, which proved costly and ineffective. They aim to deliver a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity, ensuring that the rules are respected and enforced.

This new approach emphasizes practical border control solutions rather than gimmicks, focusing on results and a controlled system that Britain deserves.