The UK government’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has been ruled illegal by a court. The decision temporarily halts London’s plans to take an increasingly tough stance on illegal immigration.
According to the court this plan cannot be considered “legal”.Deficiencies in the Rwanda Asylum System”. The Court considers that there are “People deported to Rwanda are at real risk of being returned to their home countries for persecution and inhumane treatment.”. The dispatch concludes that Rwanda is not a “safe country”.
Any expulsion to Rwanda would be a “violation of Article 3” of the European Convention on Human Rights, which “No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak immediately reacted to the decision and declared that he was not willing to give up. In a statement, Sunak stressed that Rwanda is a safe country and said the government would seek permission to appeal to the UK High Court, which the court agreed. “This government’s policy is very simple: this country and this government should decide who should come here, not the mob.“, he added.
According to government analysis, the cost of sending an asylum seeker to Rwanda is £170,000 (€197,900). The report has been widely criticized by the opposition, who believe ministers are unaware of the general costs of implementing plans to detain and deport anyone arriving in the UK irregularly.
The plan is a legacy of Boris Johnson’s mandate, delivered by Suella Braverman, the home secretary, in April last year. Braverman said he was disappointed by the decision, adding that “the British people want to stop the ferries and so does this government”.
Reiterating his determination, the Secretary of State promised to take action in the Supreme Court. “This is what I am determined to deliver and will not take a single step back from this..”
It should be noted that the High Court upheld the constitutionality of the scheme in December.
A record 40,000 migrants could cross the English Channel in small boats from France by 2022, despite Brexit promises to “take back control” of borders. And this year there are already more than 11,000. In 2021, 27 people died trying to cross the world’s busiest strait.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reiterated in a statement that it “welcomes” the Court of Appeal’s ruling.Concerns about the externalization of (country’s) asylum obligations“.
Until a decision is made, asylum seekers will not be sent to Rwanda.
