Ministers considered a Rwanda-style migrant deal with Iraq, it has been claimed.
Leaked correspondence between officials discussed the possibility of a scheme which would have allowed asylum seekers from the UK to be processed there, Sky News said.
The requests were made with a ‘request for discretion’ and no publicity, it was suggested.
Iraq expressed interest in expanding a current returns agreement but declined a formal agreement, Sky said.
Current Foreign Office travel advice to Iraq on advises against ‘all travel’ to parts of the country.
Leaked correspondence between ministers discussed the possibility of a scheme which would have allowed asylum seekers from the UK to be processed in Iraq
Vehicles move past people walking along the waterfront of the Shatt al-Arab river, formed at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in Iraq's southern city of Basra on May 3, 2024
More than 40 people can be seen in this image captured in one boat attempting the dangerous channel crossing from England to France
In addition, the UK Government is seeking returns agreements with Eritrea and Ethiopia, according to the documents.
There were 2,668 Eritreans arrivals by Channel small boat last year, up from just over 2,000 in the previous year; while Ethiopian arrivals halved in the same period to about 250.
In a separate development, ministers have planned for the possibility that migrants removed to Rwanda might refuse to disembark aircraft after arrival.
The Mail has seen papers – marked ‘Official Sensitive’ – which set out how it has sought ‘assurances’ from Rwandan government over how it will handle migrants who resist on arrival.
Sources have also said that if UK military are involved in the removals the migrants would be subject to military law.
In the event of an official being assaulted during the process, for example, any migrant accused of a crime would face a court martial rather than a civilian trial, a military source said.
Officials have previously said the Ministry of Defence will be a ‘stakeholder’ in the Rwanda scheme but have declined to set out the roles which could be performed by the military.
A government source said: ‘The Home Office is spending millions every day accommodating migrants in hotels - that's not right or fair.
‘We're taking action to put an end to this costly and dangerous cycle. Doing nothing is not a free option - we must act if we want to stop the boats and save lives.
‘The UK is continuing to work with a range of international partners to tackle global illegal migration challenges.
'Our Rwanda partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we will get flights off the ground to Rwanda in the next nine to eleven weeks.’
