UK may deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, judge rejects objection

A flight with asylum seekers from the United Kingdom to Rwanda may continue tomorrow. This is the first flight under a controversial asylum planwith the British paying Rwanda to receive asylum seekers who have made the illegal crossing to the United Kingdom via the Channel.

The British court finds that the flight is not illegal. The court is thus following a ruling by a lower British court last Friday. The appeal that three organizations lodged against that ruling was unsuccessful.

Whether the flight will actually take place remains to be seen. The intention was that more than thirty asylum seekers would be brought to Rwanda on the first flight, but only eight of them are left, refugee organizations say. In total, 130 people have been told that they are eligible for deportation to Rwanda.

Individual cases in which asylum seekers argue, among other things, that their human rights are not guaranteed in Rwanda have been successful in a number of cases. For example, an Iranian former police officer does not have to go on the run, writes The Guardian† He says he is not sure about his life in Rwanda, because the country has good ties with Iran.

Discourage people smuggling

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda in April. He says that he wants to undermine the business model of people smugglers, because, according to him, the journey across the Channel is discouraged by the threat of deportation to Rwanda.

Boris Johnson announcing the plan:

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