After two days of debate in parliament and noise from the far-right of the Conservative Party, Sunak, who wanted tougher immigration rules, won for now. The plan, known as the “Rwanda Plan”, received the approval of a majority of parliamentarians on Wednesday (17) – with 320 votes in favor and 276 votes against. Deputies gave the green light for the irregular migrants to be sent to the African country while they await a response to their requests for political asylum.
The plan, which runs afoul of the views of the European Court of Human Rights and the United Kingdom's Supreme Court, is seen by many as a political ploy by the Conservative government, which is currently campaigning for re-election. The plan, put forward during Boris Johnson's government, has already cost British taxpayers 240 million pounds, or the equivalent of one and a half billion reais, the amount the United Kingdom paid the Rwandan government to take in migrants deported from the UK. However, to date none have actually been sent to the African country.
“Welcome to Rwanda!”
Broadly speaking, the British government wants to encourage more refugees and migrants to come to the UK. Rwanda is 6,500 kilometers from the UK and a decision on a political asylum claim can take months and even years. The idea is that foreigners will be allowed to settle only after this official response; If they are rejected, they can stay in Rwanda or migrate to another country.
Currently, migrants arriving in the UK by boat are housed in hotels and even decommissioned warships. They are left in a kind of migrant limbo, without authorization to work, that is, without income, until the documents are approved. British public money is spent on food and shelter for these people, creating a heated political debate amid the economic crisis facing the country.
Brexit – Since the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union -, The issue of immigration is at the center of the polarized political agenda in many European countries (Italy, France, Hungary), as well as in the United States, this topic will continue to be debated in this election year. As boats continued to cross the English Channel illegally between France and England, the “Stop the Boats” campaign became Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's flagship campaign.
