British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sticks to his law regarding the return of migrants to Rwanda.
AFP
After months of battle, the British Parliament approved on the night of Monday to Tuesday this bill allowing the expulsion of asylum seekers who entered the United Kingdom illegally, who must now collect the royal seal – a formality – before to come into force. The government hopes to begin evictions “within 10 to 12 weeks”.
“The adoption of this historic legislation is not only a step forward but also a fundamental change in the global migration equation,” greeted Rishi Sunak in a statement early in the morning. It “makes it clear that if you come here (to the United Kingdom) illegally, you will not be able to stay,” he added. In the process, the UN, already very critical of this project, asked London to “reconsider its plan”.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and his counterpart in charge of refugees, Filippo Grandi, called on the government “to instead take practical measures to combat irregular flows of refugees and migrants, on the basis of international cooperation and respect for international human rights law.
Kigali “satisfied”
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, for his part described this law as an “attack on the independence of the judiciary”.
The Council of Europe, which brings together 46 members, including the United Kingdom, is depositary of the European Convention on Human Rights. The latter had stopped at the last minute in June 2022 a first flight planned to Rwanda.
For its part, Kigali said it was “satisfied” by the adoption of the text, with government spokesperson Yolande Makolo adding that the authorities were “impatient to welcome people relocated to Rwanda”.
The British Conservative government, struggling in the polls a few months before the legislative elections, has made the fight against illegal immigration a priority, and has promised to “stop the boats” of migrants who illegally cross the Channel to arrive in the country.
After reaching a record in 2022 (45,000), then falling in 2023 (nearly 30,000), the number of people who crossed the Channel illegally aboard makeshift canoes has increased by more than 20% since the start of the year compared to the same period last year.
“National shame”
The project aims to deport illegally arrived migrants, wherever they come from, to Rwanda, which will examine their asylum application. Whatever the outcome, they will not be able to return to the UK.
Backed by a new treaty between London and Kigali, the text adopted in the British Parliament aimed to respond to the conclusions of the Supreme Court, which judged the initial project illegal last November.
It states that Rwanda is a safe country and provides that the government will be able to override possible injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights to prevent expulsions.
The law “shows that the British Parliament is sovereign, giving the government the power to reject temporary blocking measures imposed by European courts,” said Home Secretary James Cleverly.
Conversely, human rights associations, long opposed to this project, strongly criticized the vote. It is a “national shame” and it “will leave a stain on the moral reputation of this country”, reacted in particular in a press release Sacha Deshmukh, head of Amnesty International in the United Kingdom.
In a joint press release, Amnesty, Freedom from Torture and Liberty believe that the text constitutes “a significant threat to the rule of law”. While legal recourse is expected, Rishi Sunak assured Monday that the planes for Rwanda “will take off, whatever happens”.
The government has mobilized hundreds of staff, including judges, to quickly process potential appeals from illegal migrants, and released 2,200 detention places for them while they wait for their cases to be studied. Planes have already been reserved, he assured.
(afp)
