The British Parliament has approved a bill to allow flights to Rwanda to deport asylum seekers who enter the UK illegally.
Members of the House of Lords (upper house) agreed not to table further amendments and voted in favor of the proposal, recognizing Rwanda as a safe haven, after months of debate and criticism from the opposition.
Announced two years ago by then-Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson and backed by current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, it could come into force after King Charles III's assent, British public broadcaster BBC reported.
The proposed legislation, backed by a new deal between London and Kigali, would see London pay substantial sums of money in return for extraditing migrants to Rwanda, which is intended to respond to a British Supreme Court ruling in November.
The House of Lords delayed approval of the proposal, which required an independent body to confirm Rwanda's status as a safe country.
Rwanda is one of the most stable countries on the African continent, but President Paul Kagame, who has been in power for 24 years, has been accused of ruling in an atmosphere of fear, stifling dissent and freedom of expression.
The House of Lords wanted UK agents, allies and personnel abroad, including Afghans who fought alongside Britain's armed forces, not to be covered by the scheme.
Sunak said on Monday that the first migrant deportation flights to Rwanda would begin in 10 to 12 weeks.
Ahead of judicial appeals that could last four to eight weeks, the government leader said immigration detention space had been increased to 2,200, 200 workers had been trained to review cases, 25 additional courtrooms had been provided and 150 judges had been identified. Evaluate cases.
The law allows the government to ignore precautionary measures by the European Court of Human Rights. “No foreign court will stop us,” Sunak declared, promising that the extradition to Rwanda would happen “no matter what.”
The government's plan has been criticized by anti-labour groups, pro-immigrant groups, the Anglican Church and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Dürk, who consider it “against fundamental principles of human rights”.
Rishi Sunak believes the scheme will deter illegal immigration: this year, 6,265 people have crossed the English Channel to the UK. Last year, 29,437 illegal immigrants arrived in vessels such as rubber boats, a 36% drop from 45,774 in 2022.
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