UK Approves Law For Repatriation, Sending Asylum Seekers To Rwanda

PARLIAMENT has finally given its approval to the British government's plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, breaking a months-long impasse between the lower and upper chambers about the policy's legality.

Any unlawful immigrants seeking asylum in Britain will be deported to Rwanda in accordance with the new law. With a promise of a wave of deportations “come what may” over the summer, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised that the first flight will depart as early as July.

It is anticipated that the law will receive royal assent on Tuesday. According to Home Office officials, a subset of asylum seekers with weak legal arguments for staying in the UK have already been selected and will be included in the first batch of asylum seekers who will be deported to East Africa in July.

Sunak's efforts to ban tiny boats crossing the Channel are centered around a measure that would deport asylum seekers who enter the UK illegally and send them to Kigali.

James Cleverly, the home secretary, described it as a “landmark moment in our plan to stop the boats.”

He stated in a video that was shared on social media: “The Safety of Rwanda bill has passed in parliament and it will become law within days.

“The act will prevent people from abusing the law by using false human rights claims to block removals. And it makes clear that the UK parliament is sovereign, giving the government the power to reject interim blocking measures imposed by European courts.

“I promised to do what was necessary to clear the path for the first flight. That's what we have done. Now we're working day in and day out to get flights off the ground.”

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Denisa Delić, director of advocacy at International Rescue Committee UK, said on Monday: “Irrespective of today's passage of the Safety of Rwanda bill, sending refugees to Rwanda is an ineffective, unnecessarily cruel and costly approach.

“Rather than outsourcing its responsibilities under international law, we urge the government to abandon this misguided plan and instead focus on delivering a more humane and orderly immigration system at home.

“This includes scaling up safe routes, such as resettlement and family reunion, and upholding the right to seek asylum.”

The list of 350 migrants has been narrowed down by the Home Office to those who are seen to have the lowest chance of successfully launching legal actions to prevent their deportation.