The UK Parliament has approved a contentious bill that allows asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda, despite significant opposition and anticipated legal challenges.
This decision follows a protracted process of debate and amendments, ultimately leading to a final vote on the legislation.
The passage of this bill marks a significant milestone for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has positioned the Rwanda deportation plan as a cornerstone of his policy to curb illegal immigration.
After an extensive “ping pong” session between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, peers relented on Monday night, clearing the way for royal assent, expected on Tuesday.
The new law empowers the UK government to send asylum seekers who arrived through irregular means to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital.
Home Secretary, James Cleverly, described this as a “landmark moment in our plan to stop the boats.”
In a video shared on social media, he stated: “The safety of Rwanda bill has passed in parliament and it will become law within days.”
He emphasized that the act would curb abuse of the law and reinforce the sovereignty of the UK Parliament.
While the government views the legislation as a step forward in addressing illegal immigration, critics argue that the policy is both ineffective and inhumane.
Denisa Delić, director of advocacy at International Rescue Committee UK, commented: “Irrespective of today’s passage of the Safety of Rwanda bill, sending refugees to Rwanda is an ineffective, unnecessarily cruel, and costly approach.”
The Home Office has identified a group of asylum seekers with weak legal claims who will be among the first to be deported.
Legal experts, however, have indicated that they will challenge the deportations on a case-by-case basis, potentially delaying or halting the removals.
The bill permits challenges if a deportee faces a “real, imminent, and foreseeable risk of serious irreversible harm if removed to Rwanda.”
Asylum seekers must file an appeal within eight days of receiving a deportation letter.
If denied, they have seven days to lodge a final appeal to an upper tribunal court, which must decide within 23 days.
The Rwanda scheme has also raised concerns about its cost and potential risks.
The National Audit Office has confirmed that each of the first 300 deportees will cost £1.8 million.
Additionally, there are fears that asylum seekers might disappear to avoid deportation.
The most senior civil servant in the Home Office, Matthew Rycroft, has acknowledged that the scheme’s deterrent effect is uncertain, questioning its value for money.
Lord Anderson of Ipswich, a leading lawyer and crossbench peer, commented on the implications of the Rwanda plan: “Its benefits remain to be seen.
Its costs will be measured, not only in money, but in principles debased: disregard for our international commitments, avoiding statutory protections for the vulnerable, and the removal of judicial scrutiny over the core issue of the safety of Rwanda.”
The first deportation flights to Rwanda are expected to take off in the next 10 to 12 weeks, though this timeline misses the original spring target.
Sunak assured that his government will not allow any foreign court to block these flights and promised to end the “legal merry-go-round” surrounding deportation.
“Enough is enough,” he declared, underscoring the government’s commitment to enforcing the new law.
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