The British government accelerates its plan to deport migrants to Rwanda despite criticism from international organizations

The British government has intensified its accelerated plan Deportation of migrants to Rwanda after The controversial law was approved on Monday Which states that the African country is Safe destination For asylum seekers. A rule that prevents affected people from bringing appeals to justice, except in exceptional cases, and gives the executive the power to disobey potential rulings from international courts on immigration matters. first Minister, Rishi SunakAll preparations for the first launch are completed Flights in early JulyDespite criticism from international and human rights organizations.

High Commissioner United nations for refugees, Filippo GrandiHe stressed that the approval of the Rwandan security law represents “a new step backwards in the United Kingdom’s long tradition of providing asylum to those most in need.” The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, Michael O'Flaherty, joined in the criticism on Tuesday, as well as major organizations helping refugees in the UK. Executive Director of Doctors without borders In the country, Natalie Roberts described this rule as “cruel and cruel”. Very dangerous“He warned that it violates the European Convention on Human Rights.

Public sector workers

Doubts about the legality of the procedure and the possibility of interference European Court of Human Rights (European Court of Human Rights) – which actually happened in June 2022 with the first deportation flight to the African country canceled at the last minute – sparked protests by the union of FDA officials, which warned of the risk of ministry staff being expelled. The interior is suffering Legal consequences In the event of processing deportations and disobeying international law. Union representatives threatened to sue the executive branch to avoid having to implement the new regulations.

Sunak downplayed the warnings and indicated that the government had amended the rules Civil service code So that officials obey the instructions of ministers above the opinions of the European Court of Human Rights. “I firmly believe that those in charge know what their mission is Government support“I am confident that they will do so in this case,” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday at a press conference. “The changes we have made to the law make it very clear that officials must follow ministerial guidelines,” he added.

The government plans to send the first letters in the coming days to inform asylum seekers of deportations and hopes to begin the deportation process First arrests Within days. To this end, the capacity of detention centers has been expanded 2200 places It has trained nearly 500 people to monitor migrants and accompany them throughout the process, a number that will rise to 800 in the coming weeks. Sunak has also arranged 200 public employees To speed up the processing of potential claims.

Legal disputes

The new rule bars asylum seekers from challenging deportations on the grounds that Rwanda is not a safe country or that their claim will not receive fair and adequate treatment in the African country, but allows applications for people who provide “compelling evidence specifically related to immigration.” Their own circumstances. Minister of State for Illegal Immigration Affairs, Michael TomlinsonHe acknowledged that the law still allows legal disputes, although they will be much fewer than before. “We will have challenges, but we will face them and overcome them.”He confirmed to Sky News on Tuesday.

Under the new law, British courts will only be able to stop deportation if the person concerned “is individually facing a real and imminent risk and may suffer serious and irreparable harm” in Rwanda. The order Sunak is confident will be enough to avoid setbacks in carrying out deportations and will reduce irregular arrivals of migrants to the UK. Much of his political future depends on it.