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The curtain has fallen on the first act of the great British Deportation Play.
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has ruled that the United Kingdom's plan to send refugees to Rwanda (as part of a partnership with the African nation) is perfectly legal.
Asylum seekers, aid groups and even the border officials' union have filed lawsuits to stop the government from following through on its plan, the wire services report. The ruling last week included a caveat that the government must consider the circumstances of each case before deporting anyone, setting the stage for multiple legal challenges.
But the British Supremes ruled that the policy doesn't breach the UK's obligations under the U.N. Refugee Convention or other international agreements.
Great Britain has seen a surge in immigrants on its southern coast this year, exacerbated by bureaucratic backlog and covid-19. Over-crowded processing centers in the south of England have housed not only refugees but outbreaks of diphtheria and other diseases.
Earlier this year, the Conservative government reached a deal with Rwanda to send overflow immigrants to east Africa, where they would be processed and assimilated. The deal included a $170 million check.
The European Court of Human Rights forced the UK to cancel its first deportation flight back in June, ruling that it carried a risk of "irreversible harm." Critics say it's inhumane to send refugees to a country they didn't intend to live in; the British government countered that the plan will deter criminal gangs that ferry immigrants over the English Channel from northern France–one of the world's busiest shipping lanes–sometimes to their deaths.
Rwanda has a less-than-stellar human rights record. Things have changed since the genocide of 1994, and the country has built a reputation in the region for stability and economic progress. But political oppression remains an issue.
But it's a plan. Unlike the colonies, the UK has one, for better or worse. And the British government wants to strike similar deals with other countries.
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the ruling vindicated the partnership, which she believes will help break the business model of people smugglers. The opposition Labour Party doesn't agree.
A Rwandan government spokesperson said the British court's ruling was "a positive step in our quest to contribute innovative, long-term solutions to the global migration crisis."
Checks for $170 million will influence such quests. Act 1 of the Brits' deportation saga is in the books. Stay tuned for Act 2.
Here across the pond, there is no planned act. Yet the theater continues to fill.
Print Headline: A plan, part 1
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