The expulsion of migrants to Rwanda: Controversies and issues
London and Kigali recently signed a treaty aimed at deporting migrants who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom to Rwanda, regardless of their origin. This measure, which aims to combat illegal immigration, has sparked heated controversy and raises numerous issues.
The British government is seeking to save this flagship measure of its migration policy after the British Supreme Court declared the previous project illegal. The new agreement, signed in Kigali by the British Interior Minister James Cleverly and the Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta, will still have to be ratified by the Parliaments of the two countries.
This treaty includes safeguards for deported migrants, including the creation of a joint tribunal made up of British and Rwandan judges to ensure that migrants’ safety is ensured and that they will not be returned to their country of origin. The objective is also to set up a system for listening to complaints from migrants.
However, this decision is far from unanimous. Voices have been raised to criticize the agreement and question Rwanda as a safe country for asylum seekers and refugees. The NGO Human Rights Watch has called on the British government to open its eyes to Rwanda’s past human rights violations and abandon its deportation plans.
This measure comes in a context where many people continue to arrive via the Channel on small boats. According to an AFP count, nearly 30,000 people have crossed the Channel since the start of the year.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has expressed his desire to put an end to this situation by proposing emergency legislation to designate Rwanda as a safe country and thus put an end to illegal immigration.
The expulsion of migrants to Rwanda therefore raises numerous controversies and questions the guarantees of security and respect for human rights for these individuals. We now have to wait for the ratification of this agreement by the British and Rwandan Parliaments, and closely follow the developments of this migration policy.