UK Parliament approves controversial law providing for expulsion of immigrants to Rwanda | World and Science

In a victory for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the UK Parliament approved the controversial law that provides for the expulsion of immigrants seeking asylum to Rwanda. The bill passed the House of Lords at midnight on Monday 22nd (local time) after two years of intense political and legal debate.

Sunak and the Conservative Party were pushing for the adoption of the measure that considers the African country safe, bypassing the Supreme Court ruling that declared the project illegal. Earlier, he estimated that the first flights should take off within 10 to 12 weeks, and warned that the government has commercial planes reserved to transport migrants.

Since the plan to deport immigrants was presented by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2022, experts have warned that the law violates the United Kingdom’s human rights obligations, undermines the country’s reputation and would be unworkable.

Even with approval, attempts to expel immigrants will likely face legal challenges – as has been the case – and it is unlikely that large numbers of asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda.

By law, they can be placed on one-way flights to the African country, where they must wait for their application to be processed and remain if refugee status is granted. In its decision finding the plan illegal in November, the Supreme Court concluded that Rwanda was not a safe country and that asylum seekers were at risk of being returned to the countries they fled.

The government has said it has addressed the court’s concerns in its treaty with the African country, but critics say it cannot guarantee that refugees cannot one day be returned to their countries of origin.

“You can’t make a country safe just by saying it’s safe,” said David Anderson, a lawyer and member of the House of Lords who is not affiliated with any party and who opposed the law.

Despite criticism and legal challenges, Sunak had been pushing and spending political capital for approval in an attempt to exploit anti-immigration sentiment at a time when polls indicate the Conservatives’ defeat in the election. The discussion exposed differences within the party itself, with moderates warning that the bill went too far, while hardliners complained that it did not go far enough.

The country is expected to go to the polls later this year, but the voting date has not yet been defined. With a wide lead in the polls, the Labor Party promises that, if it reaches government, it will reverse the expulsion of immigrants.