The Rwanda Bill will become law.
Hours after the Bill was passed, more people seeking protection have died trying to cross the Channel. This cruel, racist legislation is clearly deadly by design.
This marks another chapter in the history of deterring people from the Global South and People of Colour from starting a new life in the UK. The Government has shown it will take measures to deny their fundamental human rights and their access to protection.
After multiple hurdles, parliamentary ping-pong and legal challenges, the Government has said deportations will begin in summer. One tiny concession the government has made is that they will not deport members of certain Afghan special forces units who are found to be eligible for the Ministry of Defence’s relocation scheme. This will be of little comfort to the thousands impacted by this Bill.
The Bill declares Rwanda a safe country, and in doing so aims to override the UKSC ruling on the lawfulness of the Rwanda plan. In true dystopian fashion, this Bill would give the Government the power to dis-apply elements of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), and to ignore ECtHR injunctions against deportation flights.
At the Migrants’ Rights Network, asylum seekers in our Network have told us about the psychological impact the Rwanda plan is having on them. They have already gone through so much on their journeys to the UK and in the hostile asylum system, and the threat of being sent to Rwanda is instilling fear amongst them. Many people who come to the UK seeking safety thought Britain was a place that respected human rights, and for those coming from the Commonwealth or ex-colonies, they thought they would be welcome. Instead, they have been treated with contempt. The Rwanda Plan is a prime example of dehumanising measures the Government is prepared to take.
We want to see a world where everyone is free to move, but no one is forced to move. The Migrants’ Rights Network will continue to stand in solidarity with all migrants, including refugees, to create a world where no one is punished by borders, deportations or cruel immigration systems.
We have signed a joint letter to the Prime Minister on the Rwanda Bill/Act.