Current:Home > InvestWhat is the U.K. plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda?-LoTradeCoin
What is the U.K. plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda?
View Date:2024-12-24 00:04:00
London — The British parliament passed a law late Monday that will mean asylum seekers arriving on British shores without prior permission can be sent to Rwanda and forbidden from ever returning to the U.K. The British government says the law will act as deterrent to anyone trying to enter the U.K. "illegally."
The contentious program was voted through after the U.K.'s Supreme Court ruled it to be unlawful, and it has been condemned by human rights groups and the United Nations refugee agency.
King Charles III, who now must give the Rwanda bill his royal ascent to make it an official law, reportedly criticized the plan as "appalling" almost two years ago as it took shape.
Hours after the law was passed, French officials said at least five people drowned, including a child, in the English Channel during an attempt to make it to the U.K. on an overcrowded small boat. Officials later clarified that the five fatalities were caused by a crush among the more than 110 people who had crowded onto the boat. CBS News' partner network BBC News reported Wednesday that British law enforcement had arrested three men in the U.K. in connection with the incident.
Why would the U.K. send asylum seekers to Rwanda?
The Rwanda plan was put together by Britain's Conservative government in response to a number of migrant and asylum seeker arrivals on British shores in small boats from France.
With local asylum programs underfunded and overwhelmed, the government has been housing asylum seekers in hotels, where they are effectively trapped and unable to work until their claims are processed, which can take years. These hotels cost the government around 8 million pounds — almost $10 million in taxpayer money — every day to rent, according to CBS News partner BBC News.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government says the Rwanda policy will act as a deterrent to prevent migrants and asylum seekers from trying to reach the U.K. in the first place.
What is the U.K.'s Rwanda law?
The new policy will give Britain's immigration authorities power to send any asylum seeker entering the U.K. "illegally" after January 2022 to Rwanda. Those individuals can also be forbidden from ever applying for asylum in the U.K.
It will apply to anyone who arrives in the U.K. without prior permission — anyone who travels on a small boat or truck — even if their aim is to claim asylum and they have legitimate grounds to do so.
These people can, under the new law, be immediately sent to Rwanda, 4,000 miles away in East Africa, to have their asylum claim processed there. Under the law they could be granted refugee status in Rwanda and allowed to stay.
What are the issues with the Rwanda law?
The law has been the subject of intense controversy and political wrangling.
In November 2023, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled the program was unlawful and violated the European Convention on Human Rights, because it said genuine refugees would be at risk of being deported back to their home countries, where they could face harm. The judgment also cited concerns with Rwanda's human rights record.
The final legislation passed late Monday orders the court to ignore parts of the Human Rights Act and other U.K. and international rules, such as the Refugee Convention, that would also block the deportations to Rwanda, the BBC reported.
Rights groups have said they will launch legal challenges against deporting people to Rwanda as quickly as possible. This could delay any removal flights.
- In:
- Immigration
- Rishi Sunak
- Rwanda
- Britain
- Refugee
- Asylum Seekers
- Migrants
- United Kingdom
Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau.
Twitter InstagramveryGood! (5369)
Related
- Burt Bacharach, composer of classic songs, will have papers donated to Library of Congress
- Violent crime down, carjackings up, according to FBI crime statistics
- National Pasta Day 2023: The best deals at Olive Garden, Carrabba's, Fazoli's, more
- Israeli officials identify 2 Hamas leaders it says are responsible for attack, backed by Iran
- Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA Pick, Brings a Moderate Face to a Radical Game Plan
- Donald Trump is going back to court. Here’s what he’s missed since his last visit to NYC fraud trial
- U.S. book bans are taking a toll on a beloved tradition: Scholastic Book Fairs
- Keith Richards opens up on adapting guitar skills due to arthritis: 'You're always learning'
- Georgia House Republicans stick with leadership team for the next two years
- Alex Murdaugh estate, Moselle, is back on the market for $1.95 million
Ranking
- Human head washes ashore on Florida beach, police investigating: reports
- UN refugee chief says Rohingya who fled Myanmar must not be forgotten during other world crises
- Republicans will try to elect Trump ally Rep. Jim Jordan as House speaker but GOP holdouts remain
- Biden consults with world leaders, top advisers with Middle East on edge over Israel-Hamas war
- A pregnant woman sues for the right to an abortion in challenge to Kentucky’s near-total ban
- As Biden heads to Israel and Jordan, aid is held up for a Gaza on the verge of total collapse
- Mandy Moore Reveals What She Learned When 2-Year-Old Son Gus Had Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome
- Used clothing from the West is a big seller in East Africa. Uganda’s leader wants a ban
Recommendation
-
Olivia Munn Says She “Barely Knew” John Mulaney When She Got Pregnant With Their Son
-
India’s Supreme Court refuses to legalize same-sex marriage, says it is up to Parliament
-
How much is that remote job worth to you? Americans will part with pay to work from home
-
Russian parliament moves to rescind ratification of global nuclear test ban
-
Caitlin Clark's gold Nike golf shoes turn heads at The Annika LPGA pro-am
-
UN refugee chief says Rohingya who fled Myanmar must not be forgotten during other world crises
-
U.S. book bans are taking a toll on a beloved tradition: Scholastic Book Fairs
-
Jim Jordan says he feels really good going into speaker's race