Campaign group Care4Calais, which is among those appealing against Friday’s High Court decision to allow the Government’s Rwanda plan to go ahead, said several migrants due to be on the first flight out of the UK on Tuesday have since been told otherwise by the Home Office.
In a tweet, they said: “Twenty people have had their Rwanda tickets cancelled but 11 still have live tickets for tomorrow.
“These include four Iranians, two Iraqis, two Albanians and one Syrian.
“We pray that the courts act today to stop this cruel and barbaric plan.”
Protesters against the Rwanda plan
Victoria Jones
Boris Johnson defended the plan to send migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda despite reported criticism from the Prince of Wales.
The Prime Minister insisted the plan is aimed at breaking the business model of people-trafficking gangs.
Asked if Charles is wrong, Mr Johnson said: “What I don’t think we should support is continued activity by criminal gangs.”
Handout photo of Prime Minister Boris Johnson buying a bottle of wine at the Royal Cornwall show at Whitecross near Wadebridge
PA
He added: “I do think that it’s the job of Government to stop people breaking the law and to support people who are doing the right thing; that’s what we are doing.”
Mr Johnson said the Government had expected that “very active lawyers” would try to challenge the Rwanda policy.
The Prime Minister also told LBC: “We have always said that we knew that this policy would attract attacks from those who want to have a completely open-doors approach to immigration, who want people to be able to come across the Channel without let or hindrance.
“There are very active lawyers in this field. I have the utmost respect for the legal profession but it is also important we stop criminal gangs.”
Asked if the policy will be worth it if it results in just one person being removed, Mr Johnson said: “I think it’s very important that the criminal gangs who are putting people’s lives at risk in the Channel is going to be broken – is being broken – by this Government.
“They are selling people a false hope, they are luring them into something extremely risky and criminal.”