UK begins trial of online tracking of asylum seekers

The UK has begun a trial where asylum seekers can be tracked electronically, presumably using an ankle bracelet. British media reported this. The Interior Ministry wants to monitor people who have entered the country via “dangerous and unnecessary routes” and are waiting for deportation for a year.

They are migrants crossing the canal in boats or entering the country in the back of a truck. The BBC writes that migrants not sent to Rwanda this week will likely be the first to be tracked electronically.

The first flight carrying asylum seekers will leave for Rwanda on Tuesday. British judges agreed, but the European Court of Human Rights ruled there was a “real risk of irreparable suffering” for asylum seekers.

The ministry says the electronic monitoring trial helps to keep in regular contact with asylum seekers and process their asylum claims more quickly. Critics of this policy say that in this way asylum seekers are classified as criminals.

curfew

The electronic device records the person’s whereabouts. This is to prevent the asylum seeker from hiding and not being able to deport. They may also be required to adhere to a curfew.

It is not yet clear who will apply the electronic supervision. The policy document states that pregnant women and minors will be excluded from trial.

The UK signed an agreement with Rwanda in April to receive illegal asylum seekers in the East African country for a fee. The UK has designated around 130 asylum seekers for this purpose. Dozens of asylum seekers have filed and won individual lawsuits, preventing them from being put on the plane.