SUNAK’S DEPORTATION PLAN FOR RWANDA DECLARED UNLAWFUL BY UK COURT

Thu 29 June 2023:

The controversial government plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is illegal, according to a British court, because the African nation cannot be regarded as a secure third country.

Three Court of Appeal justices declared on Thursday that “removal of asylum seekers to Rwanda” would be “unlawful,” which is a huge blow for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has vowed to prevent migrants from entering across the Channel in small boats.

“The deficiencies in the asylum system in Rwanda are such that there are substantial grounds for believing that there is a real risk that persons sent to Rwanda will be returned to their home countries where they face persecution or other inhumane treatment,” judge Ian Burnett said, but added that he, himself, disagreed with the other two judges on this point.

As part of a 120 million pound ($148 million) agreement to prevent individuals from attempting to cross the English Channel from France in small boats, the British government has been preparing to deport asylum seekers to the East African nation.

The government has said it will appeal against the decision.

Sunak is grappling with a cost-of-living issue and stubbornly high inflation in addition to fighting back against criticism from his own right-wing party and the general public on migrant and refugee arrivals.

Sunak made “stop the boats” one of his priorities and hopes a fall in arrivals might help his Conservative Party pull off a win at the next national election.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman in April said Rwanda was a safe country for the resettlement of asylum seekers but declined to set any deadline for the first deportations there.

Several charities and human rights organizations have criticized the plan, dubbed the Illegal Migration Bill, claiming that it criminalizes the efforts of thousands of genuine migrants.

According to government estimates, more than 45,000 people entered the country by crossing the Channel in 2022, an increase of more than 17,000 from the previous year’s record.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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