“…tens of thousands of migrants – many fleeing wars and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia – have reached Britain in recent years by crossing the English Channel in small boats on risky journeys organized by people-smuggling gangs…”
Background
UK and Rwanda governments agreed on a scheme in April 2022 to send anyone who arrived in Britain illegally, after Jan. 1, 2022 to Rwanda, some 4,000 miles (6,400 km) away, an agreement presided over by the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The first deportation flight in June 2022 was however blocked by European judges. The Supreme Court then upheld a ruling that the scheme was unlawful because migrants were at risk of being sent back to their homelands or to other countries where they would be at risk of mistreatment.
Despite no deportations taking place, Britain has already paid Rwanda more than 200 million pounds ($304 million), and to resettle some 300 refugees could cost more than 600 million pounds.
Some 50,000 people could potentially be sent there as it stands but it also remains unclear how many people Rwanda can take.
Rishi Sunak
After becoming prime minister in late 2022, Sunak made his pledge to “stop the boats” one of his top five priorities.
Britain is spending more than 3 billion pounds a year on processing asylum applications, with the cost of housing migrants awaiting a decision in hotels and other accommodation running at about 8 million pounds a day.
Figures show more than 80,000 asylum applications remain to be decided.
To address the issues raised by the Supreme Court, Sunak agreed a new treaty with Rwanda that seeks to prevent asylum seekers deported there from being sent anywhere else other than back to Britain.
His proposed bill, which the government stated might not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, affirms that Rwanda is a safe country.
It disapplies some sections of Britain’s Human Rights Act and says ministers alone would decide on whether to comply with any injunction from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
However, the law has provoked widespread criticism, from members of Sunak’s own Conservative Party to the United Nations human rights chief.
Taking back control of Britain’s borders and ending the free movement of people into the country was a major factor that led to the 2016 vote for Britain to leave the European Union. Polls show it remains one of the most important issues for voters.
The Statistics
Official figures put 2022 annual net migration to Britain at a record of 745,000, and Sunak has set out a series of measures to cut legal migration by 300,000.
He has also promised to stop people making the dangerous journey of about 20 miles (32 km) across the Channel in small boats. More than 29,000 people arrived this way last year, after a record 45,775 migrants arrived in 2022.
So far this year 6,265, people have been detected, up by almost a quarter on the same period in 2023.
UK passes the Law
On Monday, April Monday April 22, 2024, the UK parliament passed Rwanda asylum law.
The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the government had booked commercial charter planes, put an airfield on standby and trained staff to take migrants to Rwanda, and the first flight would leave in the next 10-12 weeks.
“No ifs, no buts. These flights are going to Rwanda,” Sunak told a news conference earlier on Monday.
Tens of thousands of migrants – many fleeing wars and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia – have reached Britain in recent years by crossing the English Channel in small boats on risky journeys organized by people-smuggling gangs.
Stopping the flow is a priority for the government, but critics say the plan to deport people to Rwanda rather than handle asylum seekers at home is inhumane. They cite concerns about the East African country’s own human rights record and the risk asylum seekers may be sent back to countries where they face danger.
Bill becomes Law
Britain’s King Charles has given his assent to legislation central to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Royal assent is the final stage in the legislative process, and effectively rubber stamps the decision taken by parliament earlier this week to approve the bill after a long battle between the government and opponents of the plan.
The Royal Assent was announced in the House of Lords on Thursday, meaning the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will now become law.
Other European Nations
Many European nations, such as Germany, have tightened their border controls to address immigration concerns, while European lawmakers recently approved a revamped migration system to reduce unwanted immigration.
Denmark has also signed a similar agreement with Rwanda, but has yet to send any migrants there, and Italy has announced plans to build reception centers in Albania.
Israel scrapped a similar deal with Rwanda after five years, with the Israeli Supreme Court declaring it unlawful because Rwanda had not complied with assurances it had given.
Sources: (Reutters, Daily Monitor, BBC)
