Controversial United Kingdom migration pact receives royal ratification: King Charles signs law | Abroad

The conservative government wants to send migrants to Rwanda and thus put an end to cross-Channel migration. Critics fear that this is mainly about symbolic politics. The British government has long had the Kigali agreement for the deportations, but the plan has met with domestic resistance. The British Supreme Court shot down the plan because Rwanda cannot be considered a safe country, after which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak amended the law, which was devised by his predecessor Boris Johnson.

Rwanda has now been declared a safe third country by law. This was necessary to prevent appeals against the deportations. Migrants without the right of residence in the United Kingdom will be transferred to Rwanda to submit their asylum applications. It is not the intention that they will be able to return to the United Kingdom afterwards.

In return, Kigali will receive a sum of millions from London. According to human rights organizations, the human rights situation in the Central African country leaves much to be desired. In addition, it is also unclear whether there are enough places to accommodate the thousands of migrants crossing the Channel in Kigali. At a press conference early this week, Sunak dodged questions about how many people would be deported. He spoke of a “regular rhythm of flights, several per month during the summer and then until the boats have stopped.”