The first departures are scheduled for Tuesday. But the British courts are considering last-minute appeals against the government’s controversial plan to send migrants who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom to Rwanda.
Despite criticism from human rights defenders, the UN, the Anglican Church and even the British royal family, Boris Johnson’s Conservative government is determined with this project to discourage illegal Channel crossings, which do not stop rising despite its repeated promises since Brexit.
The measure already reduced significantly
While a first flight is scheduled for Tuesday, a first appeal filed urgently by associations for the defense of refugees was rejected by the courts on Friday. The complainants, including the Care4Calais and Detention Action associations, have however appealed, which will be heard on Monday.
The High Court must also consider during the day another appeal, brought by the refugee aid association Asylum Aid. Whatever the outcome, the individual appeals have already led to a significant reduction in the scale of the measure. “Twenty people have seen their ticket to Rwanda canceled but 11 still have to leave tomorrow” including Iranians, Iraqis, Albanians and a Syrian, tweeted Care4Calais, calling on justice to “stop this cruel and barbaric project”.
London wants to deter illegal arrivals
By sending asylum seekers more than 6,000 kilometers from London, which recalls the policy pursued by Australia, the government intends to deter illegal arrivals in the country, which are ever more numerous. Since the start of the year, more than 10,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel illegally to reach British shores in small boats, a considerable increase on previous years, which were already record highs.
“Criminal groups that put people’s lives in danger in the Channel must understand that their economic model will collapse under this government,” Boris Johnson insisted on LBC radio on Monday. Among those challenging the plan in court is the civil service union PCS, which has among its members customs officers who are supposed to implement the deportations.
A “safe haven”
Stressing that the High Court plans to examine in detail the legality of the government plan in July, PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka told SkyNews on Sunday: “imagine being told to do something on Tuesday, which in July is deemed illegal. It would be a terrible situation”.
The Rwandan Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Johnston Busingye, said in the columns of the Daily Telegraph be “disappointed” that critics of the project doubt Kigali’s ability to provide “safe haven” for asylum seekers. Under this agreement, London will initially finance the device to the tune of 120 million pounds (144 million euros). The Rwandan government has clarified that it will offer migrants the possibility “to settle permanently in Rwanda if they wish”.
“Serious and irreparable harm”
The UN has strongly condemned this strategy, denouncing a risk of “serious and irreparable harm” to migrants. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch has also expressed its opposition to the project.
London “seeks to shift its asylum responsibilities entirely onto another country, running counter to the object and purpose of the 1951 Geneva Convention, running counter to its commitments and threatening the regime international protection of refugees”, denounced HRW in an open letter on Saturday.
Royalty called the project ‘appalling’
Fueling the controversy, Prince Charles, heir to the throne, privately judged the government’s plan “appalling”, the daily reported on Saturday. The Times, while he is due to attend a Commonwealth meeting from June 20 in Rwanda.
In Kigali, Prince Charles and Boris Johnson are due to meet President Paul Kagame, who has ruled Rwanda since the end of the 1994 genocide, which claimed 800,000 lives according to the UN. His government is regularly accused by NGOs of repressing freedom of expression, criticism and political opposition.
