Thus, despite the arguments of the opposition and human rights activists, the Conservative government of Great Britain managed to achieve the legalization of this highly controversial plan, which was developed and proposed by Boris Johnson’s cabinet, by the country’s highest court. .
According to the Daily Mail, the London High Court decision entitles Downing Street to prepare a new deportation flight to Rwanda. Two high-ranking judges rejected the plaintiffs’ argument that the offer to provide one-way tickets to the East African country was illegal, but ruled in favor of eight asylum seekers whose cases “were not handled properly.” “The Court ruled that the UK Government has the legal right to take steps to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and for their asylum claims to be processed in Rwanda and not in the UK,” the summary read. the decision handed down by the High Court, which found that the planned government provisions are not contrary to the Refugee Convention.
Following the verdict, British Home Secretary Swella Braverman said she was “ready for any further legal action”. Charities and human rights groups are expected to file further lawsuits, meaning it is still unclear if and when the government will actually be able to start flights to Rwanda. Braverman previously said her “dream” would be to send illegal immigrants from the English Channel “directly to Rwanda.” Her predecessor at the head of the Home Office, the author of this project, Priti Patel, welcomed the High Court’s decision, saying that only “moving to Rwanda can stop the flow of illegal immigrants.”
London had previously struck a deal with Rwanda to send asylum seekers to the country, which is almost 6,000km from the UK, for an initial deposit of $130m and then other payments depending on the number of migrants accepted by the African state. . The British government that developed the plan explained that it was about preventing the flow of illegal immigrants across the English Channel, which has increased dramatically by 2022. Johnson, who introduced the bill, said the strategy would “break the business model of these ruthless criminals.”
Under the Downing Street Plan, immigrants will be able to apply for asylum in Rwanda. If approved by local authorities, they will be able to remain in this country with access to education and financial support for up to five years. If they refuse, they risk being deported.
However, the sending of refugees without their consent to a distant African country sparked heated debates and protests in Albion and beyond. The head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, said in June that the plan was “totally wrong” and set a dangerous precedent. The first plane carrying migrants to Rwanda was supposed to take off from London on June 14, but the flight was canceled before a final court verdict was delivered. Some 35 Sudanese, 18 Syrians, 14 Iranians, 11 Egyptians and 9 Afghans were among the more than 130 asylum seekers who were notified of their possible departure on June 14, according to Care4Calais. However, at the end of May, more than 90 affected migrants filed legal claims to remain in Britain.
At a five-day hearing in September, lawyers for several asylum seekers, along with the public and commercial services union and the charities Care4Calais and Detention Action, said the British government’s plans were illegal. In court, a UNHCR spokesman explained that Rwanda “lacks the minimum components of an accessible, safe, fair and efficient asylum system” and that the London policy would seriously risk violating the Refugee Convention.
In the meantime
Abid Gulzar, 78, has lent his 45-bedroom country hotel near Eastbourne to house up to 100 migrants who will be sent to Rwanda, according to the Daily Mail. He already earns more than £700,000 (about $850,000) in money from the taxpayers per year of immigrant housing. According to him, he is willing to provide two more hotels in Eastbourne for these purposes, if “they are needed by the government.” Three years ago, the two hotels in question were fined £4,000 each for failing to pay tax.
