Tories Push For 'Unlawful' Rwanda Migrant Bill At Supreme Court

The Conservative government have pushed for the Rwanda bill, which would send undocumented asylum seekers to Rwanda, at the Supreme Court.

The bill is set to be judged by the highest court by Wednesday 11 October this week.

In June this year, the Court of Appeal ruled that the High Court's claim that Rwanda was a safe third country for migrants was unlawful and should be reserved.

Representing the asylum seekers who are fighting the Rwanda policy, Raza Husain KC told five senior judges of human rights that the migrants would be at risk of police brutality and "absolute repression".

On the first day of the three-day hearing, Husain declared to the judges: "Rwanda's asylum system is woefully deficient and marked by acute unfairness. The secretary of state [Suella Braverman] has an uphill task in seeking to defend Rwanda's asylum system."

"She does not dispute the state of Rwandan asylum system significantly but rather seeks to ignore it," he added.

Speaking of asylum seekers who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, Husain told the court that Rwanda is an "authoritarian, one-party state" that is not fit for those already vulnerable to persecution.

According to Husain, the government in Rwanda have created a society that "imprisons, tortures and murders those it considers to be" opponents of the government.

In recent months, the new Illegal Migration Bill sees asylum seekers who have crossed the English Channel from France, subject to possible deportation.

In 2022, more than 45,700 people arrived in the UK by crossing the English Channel, with reports estimating the cost of deporting each person totalling at least £169,000.

Despite the UK government continuing to argue that the bill is safe, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is also intervening in the case.

In a written statement to the Supreme Court, the UNHCR representative Angus McCullough KC said that the organisation had "consistently expressed grave concerns" about the safety and morality of the policy.

The UNHCR representative later noted that the UNHCR "maintains its unequivocal warning against the transfer of asylum seekers to Rwanda under the UK-Rwanda arrangement".

Dismissing the highly likely persecution and imprisonment of LGBTQ+ migrants, Sir James Eadie KC, from the Home Office, argued that the government had "a serious and pressing need to take effective steps that will act as a deterrent to those undertaking the perilous and sometimes life-threatening journey, typically across the Channel, from a safe country".

"There are detailed assurances from Rwanda regarding the processing they are going to put in place and reception arrangements. The scheme will be independently monitored," he said.

The Rwandan government have since promised to uphold a deal that will offer deported migrants the opportunity to build a new and safe life in their country.

In his first major speech of 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged, twice, that he will do everything to "stop the boats".

At a recent Conservative conference, Sunak, once again, emphasised his commitment, saying: "Know this; I will do whatever is necessary to stop the boats."

In recent media briefings, the government have also suggested that they are planning to deport at least 4,000 people fighting for refugee status to Rwanda before the next election – expected to take place no later than January 2025.

Reports note that if the Supreme Court upholds the Court of Appeals 'unlawful' ruling, the government will no longer be able to fight for the deportation plan.

However, if the Supreme Court finds grounds for an appeal, the first flight that takes asylum seekers to Rwanda could happen in a matter of weeks.