The British government has failed in court with its plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. An appeals court in London ruled that the plans of the conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman were illegal. The decision is also a defeat for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Braverman’s plans envisage that people who have entered the UK irregularly – regardless of their origin and without their asylum application being examined – will be detained and deported to Rwanda as soon as possible. They should then apply for asylum there. A return to Great Britain is not planned. There is an agreement to this effect with the government in Kigali, which has been criticized by civil rights activists for violating human rights.
But the majority of judges in London ruled that Rwanda could not be considered a safe third country. The reason for this are deficiencies in the asylum procedure there. It cannot be ruled out that people seeking protection from Rwanda will be deported back to their home countries, even though they have a right to asylum. The decision can still be appealed to the UK Supreme Court.
More than 45,000 migrants crossed the Channel in 2022
With its deportation plans, the British government wants to deter migrants who arrive irregularly via the English Channel, often in small boats. Last year, more than 45,000 people came to Great Britain this way – although conservative forces had announced that Brexit would reduce migration. Sunak said stopping the influx of refugees was one of his priorities.
Braverman and Sunak’s project had been sharply criticized internationally. Human rights activists called it a violation of international obligations. The UK has not built capacity to take in migrants and has not had a readmission agreement with the EU since Brexit. Many people are therefore accommodated in hotels, which causes high costs for taxpayers.