UK PARLIAMENT APPROVES RWANDA DEPORTATION BILL
The UK’s Rwanda deportation bill, spearheaded by Rishi Sunak, has been passed following a protracted legislative tussle. The UK plans to expel 5,700 migrants to Rwanda this year, according to an official source. Migrants who arrived in the UK between January 2022 and June last year risk having their asylum claims ruled inadmissible and being sent back to Rwanda, the Home Office has said.
At the crux of the legislation is the deportation of asylum seekers who enter the UK through irregular channels to Kigali. Home Office sources have indicated that a cohort of asylum seekers with perceived weak legal grounds to remain in the UK has been identified for initial removal to East Africa, slated to commence in July.
Rishi Sunak has positioned this bill as a linchpin in the government’s strategy to stem the tide of small boat crossings across the Channel. However, the impending implementation of the bill has spurred anticipation of legal battles, with lawyers gearing up to contest the removals on behalf of individual asylum seekers.