Thousands of illegal migrants set for Rwanda flights go missing in Home Office blunder

By Katie Harris, Political Reporter

Sunak: Rwanda flights to go ahead 'without further delays'

The Home Office has admitted it is unable to locate thousands of migrants it intends to deport to Rwanda.

A document released by the department states that more than 5,700 asylum seekers have been identified to be sent on a one-way ticket to the east African nation.

But only 2,145 “continue to report to the Home Office and can be located for detention", according to the document.

The Home Office has relied on the incentive of free accommodation and a £49 weekly allowance to prevent individuals from absconding.

But officials fear the reality of deportation to Kigali would outweigh that.

It comes as migrants are due to start being detained this week ahead of the first flight to Rwanda.

Rishi Sunak's Rwanda Bill became law last week paving the way for deportation flights to get off the ground.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill faced weeks of parliamentary deadlock after fierce opposition in the House of Lords.

The law declares Rwanda is a safe country and seeks to ensure the scheme - ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court - is legally watertight.

In a Downing Street press conference on Monday, Mr Sunak said he expects it to take 10 to 12 weeks to get planes in the air.

The plan could be hit by further delays if the Government is taken to court again.

But it is unclear whether any further legal action would succeed in light of the new laws.