Report: Denmark-Rwanda deal: deporting people, outsourcing & offshoring asylum
In September 2022, Denmark and Rwanda signed an agreement on the possible transfer of asylum seekers to the East African country. The prospective ‘transfer-system’ resembles the one announced by the UK in April. About 1,000 people may be deported yearly to a country thousands of kilometres away where refugees are killed and forcibly recruited by militias. After fleeing their countries, crossing borders, and risking their lives to reach a safe place, people are pushed back into a state of imminent danger.
Should the deal go through, Denmark would be the first EU member state to practice offshore detention, setting a dreadful precedent in Europe, where anti-refugee policies continue gaining ground. More than exporting border controls, the implementation of these deals provides for a serious upscaling of incarceration and forced deportations. Governments’ rhetoric tries to mask the reality. This is not about ‘stopping human smuggling’ as they say, but increasing and tightening migration control. Even if the European Commission continues to oppose this deal, the risk remains that Denmark’s ambitions fuelled by racism and xenophobia will inspire others.
The report can be downloaded here: Denmark-Rwanda deal: deporting people, outsourcing & offshoring asylum
