Court rules British plan to send migrants to Rwanda is

Court rules British plan to send migrants to Rwanda is unlawful – Al Jazeera English

The plan, seen as crucial to the government’s political fate, could endanger asylum seekers, the court said.

Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda unlawful, saying they would not be safe there.

The UK’s highest court issued a unanimous ruling on Wednesday, ruling that the scheme would put asylum seekers at “risk of ill-treatment” as they could be sent back to their home countries after their stay in Rwanda.

The decision is a major blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s planned tough immigration policies. The promise to crack down on illegal migration across the English Channel is a key campaign promise as he prepares for next year’s election.

“We have seen today’s ruling and will now consider the next steps,” Sunak said in a statement. “This was not the outcome we wanted, but we have spent the last few months planning for every eventuality and we remain committed to stopping the boats.”

The verdict was not only a disappointment for Downing Street, it also triggered a rebuke from Rwanda. A government spokesman said it was questioning “the decision that Rwanda is not a safe third country for asylum seekers and refugees.”

‘Plan B’

Britain and Rwanda signed an agreement in April 2022 to send some migrants arriving in the UK across the English Channel to the East African country. Their asylum applications would be processed there. If successful, they would stay.

No one has been sent to the country yet, and the plan faces a number of legal challenges. The Supreme Court has been tasked with hearing a government appeal against an earlier court ruling.

The first planned deportation flight in June 2022 was blocked by a short-term injunction from the European Court of Human Rights, which banned any deportations pending the outcome of the legal proceedings in the UK.

The Rwanda program is central to Sunak’s immigration policy as he has promised to stop migrants arriving by boat on Britain’s south coast without permission.

The UK accepts fewer asylum seekers than many European countries, including Germany, France and Italy. Thousands of migrants from around the world travel to northern France every year in the hope of crossing the English Channel.

More than 27,300 migrants have crossed the English Channel this year, with this year’s total expected to be lower than the 46,000 who made the journey in 2022.

Suella Braverman launched a blistering attack on Sunak after she was sacked as home secretary on Tuesday, saying he had failed to prepare any credible “Plan B” should the program to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda fail in court.

Administration officials say there are options including negotiating a new agreement with Rwanda, upgrading the agreement from a memorandum of understanding and adding new protections.