UN against UK-Rwanda asylum-seekers deal

The United Nations said it stood firmly against Britain’s deal announced Thursday to send illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers who cross the Channel thousands of miles away to Rwanda.

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, voiced “strong opposition and concerns” about the agreement and urged London to refrain from transferring asylum-seekers and refugees to Rwanda for processing.

The agency said people fleeing persecution should not be traded like commodities.

“UNHCR remains firmly opposed to arrangements that seek to transfer refugees and asylum-seekers to third countries in the absence of sufficient safeguards and standards,” Gillian Triggs, the UNHCR assistant high commissioner for protection, said in a statement.