Criticism Mounts as UK Parliament Approves Sending Asylum-Seekers to Rwanda, Human Rights Groups Speak Out
International humanitarian organisations wasted no time in condemning Britain’s decision to send certain asylum-seekers to Rwanda. The swift backlash came after Parliament gave the go-ahead for deportation flights to commence later this year.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the U.N. refugee agency and the Council of Europe urged the U.K. to reconsider its plans, citing worries that the proposed legislation could weaken human rights safeguards and potentially harm international efforts to address the worldwide migrant crisis.
In a statement, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi expressed concern that the new legislation signifies a departure from the U.K.’s historical commitment to offering sanctuary to those seeking refuge, which goes against the principles of the Refugee Convention. Grandi emphasized that safeguarding refugees is a collective responsibility that extends beyond just countries bordering crisis areas, urging all nations to fulfill their obligations in providing protection.
The statement came just hours after Britain’s House of Lords dropped its attempts to amend the legislation, paving the way for it to become law. On Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said deportation flights to Rwanda would begin in 10-12 weeks.
Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, criticised the legislation for preventing asylum-seekers from asking the courts to intervene when they are they are threatened with being sent back to the countries they are fleeing.
“The adoption of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill by the U.K. Parliament raises major issues about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law more generally,” O’Flaherty said in a statement.
“The United Kingdom government should refrain from removing people under the Rwanda policy and reverse the bill’s effective infringement of judicial independence.”
The reaction came as French media reported that at least five people died Tuesday when a boat carrying about 100 or more migrants got into trouble while trying to cross the English Channel.
Sunak’s government says its deportation plans will help stop the tide of people entering Britain illegally because migrants won’t make the risky crossing in leaky inflatable boats if they know there is a chance they will be sent to Rwanda.
Small boat crossings are a potent political issue in Britain, where they are seen as evidence of the government’s failure to control immigration.
Sunak has made his plan to “stop the boats” a key campaign promise with his Conservative Party trailing badly in opinion polls ahead of a general election later this year.
The number of migrants arriving in Britain on small boats soared to 45,774 in 2022 from just 299 four years earlier as people fleeing war, famine and economic hardship paid criminal gangs thousands of pounds to ferry them across the channel.
Small boat arrivals dropped to 29,437 last year as the government cracked down on people smugglers and reached an agreement to return Albanians to their home country.
