United Kingdom, parliament gives green light to the Rwanda Plan. Sunak: “Historical law”. The UN attacks: “Dangerous measure”

The British parliament gives the green light to the law on the transfer of asylum seekers in Rwanda who have arrived illegally in the United Kingdom. The approval took place late at night, after continuous backlash, months of obstruction by the House of Lords and criticism and concerns over potential human rights violations. Now, to get into […]

British parliament gives green light to law on the transfer of asylum seekers to Rwanda who have arrived illegally in the United Kingdom. The approval took place late at night, after a continuous reboundmonths of obstructionism by the House of Lords e criticisms And perplexity for potential human rights violations. Now, to come into force, the law will have to be promulgated by King Charles IIIwhich is expected to happen today, Tuesday 23 April.

The one on the transfer of asylum seekers to Rwanda, a central African country, is one of the main proposals promoted by the prime minister Rishi Sunak. But it is considered by many unworkable or illegal. The plan provides that all migrant people arriving in the UK can be relocated to Rwanda while they wait for their asylum request be examined. The law had been blocked several times by British courts and also from European Court of Human Rights which had raised potential human rights violations.

A vote that comes at an important period for the Sunak executive. The country, in fact, will go to elections by the end of the year and, according to polls, the opposition Labor is ahead of the governing Conservatives. But the prime minister believes that his immigration plan could be politically important to make up for the disadvantage. Over the last four months, the House of Lords has delayed the approval of the law several times. Then the judgement on illegality by the British Supreme Court last November deeming Rwanda not a “safe country“. And also highlighting the risk for repatriated people to suffer inhumane mistreatment in their countries of origin.

The approval of the “historic” bill on Rwanda represents “not just a step forward, but a change fundamental to the global migration equation,” the prime minister said Sunak. The text was introduced to “dissuade vulnerable migrants from making dangerous crossings and counter the business of criminal gangs that exploit them. If you are coming here illegally, you cannot stay and our goal is now to do so take off flightsand I am aware that nothing will stop us from doing so and save human lives“, he concluded. Not of the same opinion, however United Nations who asked Britain to reconsider plans to expel asylum seekers to Rwanda: “The measure is a dangerous precedent globally,” said the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türkthen inviting Sunak “to instead take practical measures to combat irregular flows of refugees and migrants, based on international cooperation and respect for international human rights law”.