UK Parliament Approves Controversial Rwanda Asylum Law, Flights Set to Begin in Weeks
The UK parliament passed a controversial law allowing the government to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, despite previous delays due to opposition in the House of Lords.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed to start flights within 10-12 weeks, having secured commercial charter planes and trained staff.
The government threatened to keep parliament in session late into the night to force the bill through.
The policy, aimed at addressing asylum seeker arrivals and boosting Conservative Party support, has been met with criticism from human rights groups.
The UK government plans to deport tens of thousands of migrants who have reached the country by crossing the English Channel to Rwanda.
This is an effort to stop the flow of migrants, but critics argue that sending asylum seekers to Rwanda is inhumane.
They raise concerns about Rwanda's human rights record and the potential danger asylum seekers may face if returned to their countries of origin.
The UK government, under Rishi Sunak, is pushing for a new law to allow the processing of asylum seekers in Rwanda despite a Supreme Court ruling declaring it unlawful.
The law would exclude some human rights statutes from applying to the scheme and consider Rwanda a safe destination for British judges.
Individuals' appeal options would be limited to exceptional cases.
Similar plans are being considered by other European countries like Austria and Germany.
Lords are calling for safeguards to ensure the proposed law complies with human rights obligations.