The Sunday Mail
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (UK) ruled on Wednesday that the government’s deportation scheme of asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful.
The ruling was reached unanimously by the five judges of the top court. Lord Reed, president of the Supreme Court, delivered the ruling.
“The Supreme Court unanimously dismisses the Home Secretary’s appeal, and upholds the Court of Appeal’s conclusion that the Rwanda policy is unlawful,” the published judgment said, adding that there are substantial grounds to believe that asylum seekers would face a real risk of ill-treatment if deported to Rwanda.
The court’s decision challenges the UK government’s approach to deterring illegal migration. In April 2022, the UK reached a deal with Rwanda, under which illegal immigrants and asylum seekers would be sent to the east African country to have their claims processed there. If successful, they would be granted permanent residency in Rwanda rather than allowed to return to the UK.
The UK hoped that the deal, for which it paid Rwanda 120 million British pounds (US$149,5 million) upfront, would help deter migrants from making the perilous journey across the English Channel in small boats.
“This was not the outcome we wanted, but we have spent the last few months planning for all eventualities and we remain completely committed to stopping the boats,” said UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak following the court ruling.
“Crucially, the Supreme Court — like the Court of Appeal and the High Court before it — has confirmed that the principle of sending illegal migrants to a safe third country for processing is lawful. This confirms the government’s clear view from the outset,” Sunak said.
“Illegal migration destroys lives and costs British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. We need to end it and we will do whatever it takes to do so,” he added.
Enver Solomon, chief executive at the Refugee Council, a leading charity working with refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK, hailed the court ruling a “very clear victory” for asylum seekers. – Xinhua
