The British Parliament approved on the night of Monday to Tuesday the controversial bill for the expulsion to Rwanda of asylum seekers who entered the United Kingdom illegally.
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The British Parliament approved on the night of Monday to Tuesday the bill allowing the expulsion to Rwanda of asylum seekers who entered illegally in United Kingdomafter an endless battle between the upper house, reluctant in the face of this controversial text, and the lower house.
The House of Lords, where the Conservatives do not have a majority, delayed the final adoption of the text by constantly sending it back to the House of Commons with amendments, which were in turn systematically rejected by the deputies. A delaying maneuver known as “parliamentary ping pong”.
Announced more than a year ago under the government of Boris Johnson, the plan to send migrants who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom to Rwanda was never implemented. The conservative government still hopes to put this text in place by the legislative elections scheduled for this year and make this project the basis of its policy to combat illegal immigration despite multiple condemnations. During a visit by President Kagame to the United Kingdom, the two men assured “ that the first flights towards Rwanda will take place in the springs”.
Rwanda, a safe country?
The text that was voted on aimed to respond to the conclusions of the Supreme Court, which judged the initial project illegal last November. In fact, the judges had estimated, based on Rwanda’s human rights record, that the country was not a safe place and had therefore revoked the text. Moreover, if Rwanda presents itself as one of the most stable countries on the African continent, its president Paul Kagame is accused of governing in a climate of fear, stifling dissent and freedom of expression.
This new law, backed by a new treaty between London and Kigali which provides for the payment of substantial sums, therefore defines Rwanda as a safe third country.
And if the parliamentary shuttle was so long, it is because the House of Lords, where the Conservatives do not have a majority, wanted to demand that Rwanda not be considered a safe country until a independent monitoring body says so. They also wanted UK agents, allies and employees abroad, including Afghans who fought alongside British armed forces, to be exempt from deportation. But the Lords finally gave in to the wishes of the House of Commons and decided not to amend the text anymore, thus guaranteeing the entry into force of this controversial law.