Rishi Sunak’s Plan To Deport Asylum Seekers To Rwanda Bill Passes

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gives an update on the plan to “stop the boats” and illegal migration during a press conference in the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Thursday Dec. 7, 2023. (James Manning/Pool via AP)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill scraped through Parliament early Tuesday in a pivotal move aimed at curbing illegal migration by deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The bill finally passed after eight gruelling hours of back-and-forth debates and tactical manoeuvres between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The night saw MPs overturn several Lords amendments before the upper chamber relented, giving way to the bill.

Sunak touted the legislation as a “fundamental change in the global equation on migration,” aiming to deter “perilous crossings” of the English Channel by migrants and dismantle the operations of human trafficking networks.

“The passing of this legislation will allow us to do that and make it very clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay,” he said on Monday, vowing to have flights ready “within 10 to 12 weeks.”

Lord Des Moines, who forwarded an amendment for the exclusion of foreign nationals like Afghan interpreters who assisted the British Army, said that the government had made an “extremely important concession” in promising special assessment of these cases by an independent body.

However, the plan, criticised as an “extortionately expensive gimmick” by Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, still faces potential legal roadblocks. Prominent charities and human rights organisations have condemned the scheme as a “breach of international law,” with groups like Amnesty International and Liberty blasting the bill for risking “an unsafe future in Rwanda” for refugees and undermining legal protections.

As the bill moves towards receiving Royal Assent on Tuesday, the prime minister is under pressure to demonstrate that this high-stakes strategy will effectively curb illegal migration, especially with a general election looming.