Syrian and Afghan refugees on first deportation flight to Rwanda, say charities

Ms Gardner said one of the JCWI’s clients is a Syrian who came to the UK by boat.

“There is no safe route to escape Syria. No visa to apply for or queue you can join to reach the UK,” she said.

“He was targeted by the regime and had to run. He has two sisters living here, where would you go? What welcome would you hope for?”

Home Office figures released last week revealed people fleeing Afghanistan were the largest migrant group crossing the Channel in the early part of 2022 after Western allies pulled out of the country in August 2021.

One in four people making the risky journey was from Afghanistan, with the figures showing almost as many Afghans crossing the Channel from January to March this year (1,094) as in the whole of 2021 (1,323).