London, Thanasis Gavos

The London Court of Appeal has ruled illegal the British government’s plan to transfer to Rwanda asylum seekers and immigrants who enter the British territory illegally.

The Court of Appeal, overturning an earlier court ruling, ruled that Rwanda cannot be considered a “safe country” to host these people.

The plan was drawn up under Boris Johnson as prime minister and has since been promoted by his successors Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. It provides for the immediate transfer to Rwanda of those irregular refugees or migrants who want to apply for asylum, so that the application can be submitted and processed there. The British government will fund the government of Kigali for the accommodation of these people in the country.

However, despite an initial £120m deal with the East African country’s government, not a single flight of asylum seekers has been flown to Kigali due to ongoing legal challenges from those involved and human rights groups.

The plan has been criticized by the British opposition, international organizations and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. But the British government has made it central policy as a deterrent as part of Prime Minister Sunak’s pledge to end illegal crossings of refugees and migrants across the Channel.

However, the Home Office has admitted that transporting each asylum seeker to Rwanda would cost £169,000, £63,000 more than the cost of housing an asylum seeker on British soil.

Two out of three judges ruled that Rwanda’s immigration system is “flawed”, resulting in a “real risk” of refugees being sent back to their home countries, where they could face persecution and inhumane treatment.

It is believed that Home Secretary Suella Braverman will appeal again, taking the case to the High Court in London.