The UK has entered into talks with Cote d'Ivoire, Botswana, Costa Rica and Armenia to send illegal migrants there, similar to the agreement between the UK and Rwanda, the British newspaper reported, citing leaked documents.
Some African countries, including Cape Verde, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Angola and Sierra Leone, have been put on a reserve list to be used in case other targets fail, the media added.
The UK also approached several South American countries, including Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil and Colombia, but they were deemed less interested in striking a migration deal with London, the media outlet added.
In 2022, the UK signed a migration agreement with Rwanda under which people identified by the UK government as illegal migrants or asylum seekers will be deported to Rwanda for processing, asylum and resettlement.
Towards the end of June 2023, the UK Court of Appeal deemed London's deportation strategy for illegal migrants to Rwanda as unlawful, prompting an appeal by the UK Home Office to review the decision. On November 15, 2023, the UK Supreme Court also declared the plan illegal.
Last December, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly inked a new pact with Rwanda, aimed at collaborative efforts against irregular migration.
In January, the plan was approved by the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament, but in early March, the House of Lords, the upper house, voted to add stricter safeguards to the plan.
Last month, the UN Human Rights Committee called on the UK to abandon a controversial plan that "discriminates against migrants and seeks to limit access to rights for asylum seekers."