This is the controversial UK law to send illegal immigrants to Rwanda: what it consists of and which countries have similar laws

With the green light from Parliament and the signature of King Charles III, the ‘Rwanda Act’ has finally been approved, the controversial law promoted by the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, by which the British authorities will be able to authorize the deportation of illegal immigrants to the African country.

The proposal, which has been stuck for months, involved in parliamentary controversies, doubts about its legality and various complaints and protests. After winning the battle in the British Supreme Court, signing the treaty with Rwanda and managing to approve the rule, Sunak hopes that in three months, by July 2024, the first shipments will begin.

What is the law and how will it work? What are your reasons and what do you hope to achieve? Are there similar rules in other countries?

The rule aims to stop the arrival of immigrants through the English Channel

In recent years, illegal immigration from Europe to the United Kingdom through small boats through the Channel has multiplied exponentially: according to official figures, more than 6,000 immigrants have arrived in Great Britain in this way, as explained by the BBC.

Already in 2022, this issue was addressed by the government of the then ‘premier’ Boris Johnson, which raised for the first time the possibility of signing a deportation agreement with a third country for those people who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom and later requested asylum.

Opinions against the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom were slowing down the government’s aspirations to approve the norm. In addition to questioning these deportations, which the Supreme Court described as illegal, the question was raised whether Rwanda was a “safe country” for these people.

However, the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak continued to promote the processing of the rule: a formal treaty was signed with Rwanda to make deportations possible in December 2023, and finally, despite the strong controversy and complaints from the European justice, the text has been approved and ratified

UK will send migrants to Rwanda

With this new law, officially called ‘Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024’, the British Government aims to deter the arrival of immigrants by sea through the Channel (and thus avoid the deaths that occur on these journeys) and the illegal entry of immigrants into the United Kingdom, as well as their subsequent request for asylum in the country.

According to the text, all people who have entered illegally and have requested asylum in the United Kingdom since July 20, 2023 will have their applications canceled. These people will be identified and deported to Rwanda, where, by agreement between both countries, they will receive asylum, in a process supervised by the British authorities.

In return, the agreement provides for a British payment of £370 million in development funding to Rwanda, plus £120 million when 300 people have been relocated to the country. In addition, the United Kingdom will pay 171,000 pounds for each person relocated. The agreement has a duration of five years.

The rule has generated controversy due to its legality

The norm, now approved, has been the subject of all kinds of complaints and controversies, and has been questioned for its political cost, its legality, its morality and whether it would really be worth assuming all of this for a norm whose effectiveness against illegal immigration is still must be tested.

In response to criticism, the Sunak Government has assured that it will ensure the safety of those deported to Rwanda. In addition, the Rwanda Security Law, approved in parallel this week, declares the African country a “safe zone”, which makes it difficult for rulings against the decision, such as the orders of the ECHR, to prosper. Sunak has also been in favor of “ignoring or abandoning international treaties” if they are contrary to this issue, according to AP.

Other countries have proposed similar plans

In any case, the United Kingdom is not the only country that has contemplated this plan as a response to illegal immigration: Australia has been sending immigrants to the island of Nauru since 2001 to process asylum applications there.

Israel had a similar agreement precisely with Rwanda, before the country’s Supreme Court declared it illegal. Denmark also had it, before going on to assess a way to address the issue with other countries in the European Union. Italy, for its part, has an agreement with Albania to process their asylum requests, with the difference that these immigrants can later return to the country.