The High Court of the United Kingdom has ruled that the government migration policy, which involves the expulsion of illegal migrants to Rwanda, is lawful, Lord Justice Lewis said on Monday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2022) The High Court of the United Kingdom has ruled that the government migration policy, which involves the expulsion of illegal migrants to Rwanda, is lawful, Lord Justice Lewis said on Monday.
"We have concluded that it is lawful for the government to make arrangements for relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda and for their asylum claims to be determined in Rwanda rather than the UK," the lord justice said, as quoted by the Evening Standard newspaper.
According to the Sky news broadcaster, the judge also said that such a policy was in line with the refugee convention. However, according to him, the cases of eight refugees who filed a lawsuit over their deportation decision were not "properly considered," the report added.
Lewis urged the Home Office to reconsider the cases and take into account all the individual circumstances in the case of each migrant when considering an asylum application, the report added.
Later in the day, the prime minister's spokesman said that the government intended to start implementing the migration plan "as soon as possible," but it is impossible to set an exact date for the start of the plan, as further legal proceedings are possible.
At the same time, Rwandan government spokesman Yolande Makolo welcomed the court's decision and said that Rwanda would provide safety and better living conditions to migrants, the broadcaster reported.
The UK and Rwanda signed a migration agreement in mid-April, stipulating that people recognized by the UK government as illegal migrants or asylum seekers will be deported to Rwanda for processing of documents, obtaining asylum, and relocation. The first flight with illegal migrants aboard was scheduled for June 14, but it did not take place as the European Court of Human Rights granted a last-minute appeal to all the asylum seekers on board the day before. The court expressed fear that asylum seekers transferred to Rwanda would not have access to fair and efficient procedures for the determination of refugee status.
