British Parliament Approves Draft Bill to Deport Migrants to Rwanda

(Patria) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's latest attempt to send some migrants to Rwanda finally received parliamentary approval after midnight, a few hours after he promised that deportation flights would begin in July, AP reports.

A parliamentary deadlock that had stalled the bill for two months finally broke shortly after midnight when the unelected House of Lords "recognized the primacy" of the elected House of Commons and dropped its last proposed amendment, paving the way for the bill to become law.

Earlier that day, Sunak held a rare morning press conference urging the Lords to stop blocking his flagship plan to stem the tide of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, promising that both houses of parliament would remain in session until it was approved.

The legislative impasse was the latest hurdle to implementing a plan that has been repeatedly blocked by a series of court rulings and opposition from human rights activists who say it is illegal and inhumane. Migrant advocates have vowed to continue fighting it.

The government plans to deport some of those who enter the UK illegally to Rwanda as a deterrent to migrants who risk their lives in leaky inflatable boats in the hope that they can claim asylum once they reach Britain.

Despite parliament approving the bill, further legal challenges could still delay deportation flights, said Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. Sunak has staked his political future on the deportation flights, promising to "stop the boats" as a key part of his appeal to voters as opinion polls show his Conservative Party trailing the Labour Party significantly ahead of a general election this year. Local elections next week are seen as a barometer of how the parties will fare in the general election.

The number of migrants arriving in Britain in small boats rose to 45,774 in 2022 from just 299 four years earlier, as people seeking asylum pay criminal gangs thousands of pounds to ferry them across the channel. Last year, arrivals fell to 29,437 as the government cracked down on people smugglers and struck a deal to return Albanians to their home country.

Sunak said on Monday that the first flights would begin in ten to twelve weeks, but he declined to give details on how many people would be deported or exactly when the flights would occur, saying the information could help opponents continue to try to frustrate the policy. In preparation for the bill's approval, the government has already chartered planes for deportation flights, increased detention capacity, hired more immigration staff, and cleared court time to handle appeals, Sunak said.

He also suggested the government was prepared to ignore the European Court of Human Rights if it sought to block deportations. "We are ready, plans are in place, and these flights will go whatever it takes," Sunak said. "No foreign court will stop us from flying," he added.

The current law, known as the Safety of Rwanda Act, is a response to a UK Supreme Court ruling that blocked deportation flights because the government could not guarantee the safety of migrants sent to Rwanda. After signing a new agreement with Rwanda to strengthen protections for migrants, the government proposed a new bill declaring Rwanda a safe country.