The UK Parliament has approved the Nationality and Borders Bill, giving the government authority to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for their claims to be processed by the East African nation, as reported by CNN. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s efforts to enact the legislation faced hurdles from opposition in Parliament and obstacles in British courts due to human rights concerns raised by legislators and activists. The delay in implementing the policy has caused setbacks for Sunak, as the British government has contributed funds to Rwanda for a program that has yet to produce tangible results. The measure aims to curb unlawful immigration into the UK, primarily targeting those who cross the English Channel in small boats organized by criminal gangs. According to the bill, asylum seekers who arrive in the UK could potentially be sent to Rwanda for their claims to be reviewed. If their claim is approved, they may remain in Rwanda; if denied, they will not be deported to any other location but the UK by Rwanda. However, the exact outcome in this scenario remains uncertain. The plan was first proposed in 2022 as part of Sunak’s commitment to prevent these arrivals, aligning with the Conservative Party’s goal of ‘stopping the boats.’ Two years later, the failure to deport any asylum seekers has been seen as a significant setback for Sunak, according to CNN. Last year, the UK Supreme Court ruled the policy unlawful, citing a substantial risk of mistreatment for asylum seekers if they were deported to Rwanda due to the country’s history of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances, and torture. In response, the government introduced the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in January 2023, which effectively classifies Rwanda as a safe country by overriding the court’s concerns. Home Secretary James Cleverly announced on Monday that the Safety of Rwanda Bill has passed Parliament and will become law within days. He emphasized that the act will prevent individuals from exploiting the system with false human rights claims to avoid deportation. It also asserts the supremacy of the UK Parliament, granting the government the power to overturn temporary blocking measures imposed by European courts, as reported by CNN. Despite the bill’s passage, the government could still face legal challenges in the European Court of Human Rights, as the UK remains a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, which previously prohibited the government from sending asylum seekers to Rwanda. The bill has experienced significant delays due to efforts to amend it, leading to months of exchanges between the House of Commons and House of Lords in a process known as ‘ping pong.’ According to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, 45,744 individuals entered the UK via small boats in 2022, while government statistics indicate net migration reached 745,000 during the same period. The issue of illegal migration poses difficulties for Sunak and the governing Conservative Party, who will face the public in a general election that must be held by year’s end. Parties on the right, such as Reform UK led by Nigel Farage, are anticipated to heavily emphasize the problem of unlawful migration. The opposition Labour party has already pledged to abandon the Rwanda policy if elected in the upcoming general election, which is scheduled for January 2024 at the latest but is widely anticipated to take place earlier this year, according to Al Jazeera.
UK Parliament Passes Rwanda Asylum Bill Despite Controversies
