Great Britain and Rwanda conclude new migration agreement
The UK Supreme Court had ruled that a previous agreement between the British government and Rwanda on the deportation of asylum seekers and other migrants was unlawful. In particular, the court had not classified Rwanda as a safe third country: It therefore considered the agreement to be incompatible with the UK's international obligations, as it was possible that Rwanda could deport people to regions where they would face persecution. The judges thus agreed with the decision of the lower court.
Rwanda's deputy government spokesman, Alain Mukuralinda, now stated that both countries would set up a joint court of Rwandan and British judges in Kigali to ensure that none of the immigrants brought to Rwanda are deported to their home country. The parliaments of both countries would have to vote on this court, Mukuralinda added. Further details of the new agreement were initially left open.
The Supreme Court's ruling was a setback for conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is currently under strong domestic political pressure to limit immigration. The focus here is on people who enter the country in small boats as irregular migrants across the English Channel.
Following the Supreme Court's decision, Sunak announced that the plan to deport migrants to Rwanda would be saved with a new agreement. This would "take into account the concerns mentioned in the ruling".
Sunak also wants to have laws amended in parliament as a matter of urgency in order to have Rwanda classified as a safe third country. "I have had enough of our Rwanda policy being blocked," he wrote in The Sun newspaper on Tuesday. "I have instructed the government to work on urgent legislation to stop the merry-go-round and end the problem once and for all."
Speaking ahead of his trip to Kigali, Cleverly said: "We are clear that Rwanda is a safe country and that we are working to take this partnership forward to stop the boats and save lives." Almost 30,000 people have crossed the Channel to the UK by boat so far this year, compared to almost 46,000 last year.
The first deportation flight to Rwanda was due to take place in June 2022 on the basis of the previous agreement concluded in April. An appeal by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) prevented this at the last minute.
Read also:
- The new migration agreement between Great Britain and Rwanda includes establishing a joint court in Kigali, composed of both Rwandan and British judges, to oversee the treatment of immigrants brought to Rwanda.
- The Supreme Court's ruling deemed the previous deportation agreement between the UK and Rwanda unlawful, as Rwanda was not classified as a safe third country, potentially risking persecution for migrants.
- James Cleverly, Britain's Foreign Minister, stated that Rwanda is considered a safe country and expressed confidence in moving forward with the migration partnership to stop immigrant boat crossings and save lives.
- Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces domestic political pressure to limit immigration, particularly focusing on irregular migrants entering the country by boat in the English Channel.
- Following the Supreme Court's decision, Sunak announced plans to amend laws in parliament as a matter of urgency, aiming to classify Rwanda as a safe third country for the purpose of deporting migrants.
- The new migration agreement seeks to address the concerns raised in the Supreme Court's ruling by ensuring that deportations to Rwanda comply with international rights and prevent further asylum seeker and migrant transfers through the 'sleeve channel' (irregular migration routes).
Source: www.stern.de
