With the green light from Parliament and the signature of King Charles III, finally The ‘Rwanda Act’ has been approved‘, the controversial law promoted by the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, by which the British authorities will be able to authorize the deportation of illegal immigrants to the African country.
The proposal, which has been stuck for months, wrapped in parliamentary controversies, doubts about its legality and different complaints and protests. After winning the battle in the British Supreme Court, signing the treaty with Rwanda and managing to approve the rule, Sunak hopes that in three months, by July 2024, the first shipments will begin.
What is the law and how will it work? What are your reasons and what do you hope to achieve? Are there similar rules in other countries?
The rule aims to stop the arrival of immigrants through the English Channel
In recent years, the illegal immigration from Europe to the United Kingdom via small boats through the English Channel has multiplied exponentially: according to official figures, more than 6,000 immigrants have arrived in Great Britain through this route, as explained by the BBC.
Already in 2022, this issue was addressed by the government of the then ‘premier’ Boris Johnson, who raised for the first time the possibility of signing a deportation agreement with a third country of those people who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom and later requested an asylum application in the country.
Opinions against the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom They were slowing down the government’s aspirations to approve the norm. In addition to questioning these deportations, which the Supreme Court described as illegal, the question was raised whether Rwanda was a “safe country” for these people.
However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government continued to push for the process of the norm: a treaty was signed with Rwanda to make deportations possible in December 2023, and finally, despite the strong controversy and complaints from European justice, the text has been approved and ratified
UK will send migrants to Rwanda
With this new law, officially called ‘Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024‘ The British Government intends to discourage the arrival of immigrants by sea through the English Channel (and thus avoid the deaths that occur on these crossings) and the illegal entry of immigrants into the United Kingdom, as well as their subsequent request for asylum in the country.
According to the textall people who have entered illegally and have requested asylum in the United Kingdom From July 20, 2023, your applications will be canceled. These people will be identified and deported to Rwanda, where, by agreement between both countries, they will receive asylum, in a process supervised by the British authorities.
In exchange, the agreement contemplates a British payment of 370 million pounds in development finance to Rwanda, plus £120 million when 300 people have relocated to the country. In addition, the United Kingdom will pay £171,000 for each person relocated. The agreement has a duration of five years.
The rule has generated controversy due to its legality
The norm, now approved, has been the subject of all kinds of complaints and controversies, and has been questioned for its political cost, its legality, its morality and whether it would really be worth assuming all of this for a norm whose effectiveness against illegal immigration is still must be tested.
In response to criticism, the Sunak Government has assured that it will ensure the safety of people deported to Rwanda. Furthermore, the Rwanda Security Law, approved in parallel this week, declares the African country a “safe zone”, which makes it difficult for rulings against the decision, such as ECHR orders, to prosper. Sunak has also been in favor of “ignoring or abandoning international treaties” if they are contrary to this issue, according to AP.
Other countries have proposed similar plans
In any case, the United Kingdom is not the only country that has contemplated this plan as a response to illegal immigration: Australia Since 2001, it has sent immigrants to the island of Nauru to process asylum applications there.
Precisely with Rwanda it had a similar agreement Israel, before the country’s Supreme Court declared it illegal. I had it too Denmarkbefore going on to assess a way to address the issue with other countries in the European Union. Italyfor its part, has an agreement with Albania to process their asylum requests, with the difference that these immigrants can later return to the transalpine country.
