Home Office has lost contact with thousands of potential Rwanda deportees, data shows

Minister says ‘officers are used to this’, as figures suggest Home Office is in contact with only 38% of people it wants to remove

The Home Office is “used to” losing contact with asylum seekers, a UK government minister has said, after official figures suggested thousands of people it hoped to deport to Rwanda had stopped reporting.

The impact assessment on the Home Office’s website on Monday suggests the department is in contact with 38% of those it intends to remove to Rwanda. Only 2,145 “continue to report to the Home Office and can be located for detention”, the impact assessment says, of the 5,700 it has identified to put on the first flights.