Great Britain wants to make “resettlement” legally safe for Rwanda

I amThe preamble to the new agreement between Britain and Rwanda states that the two countries will work together to “promote a new, fair and humane approach to asylum, prevent illegal immigration and create legal and safe routes for people fleeing persecution”. The preamble to the 43-page agreement refers to the obligation of both contracting parties to “uphold fundamental human rights and freedoms without discrimination”, which they are bound to do by their long tradition of applying the UN Refugee Convention and its Protocol.

The full text of the agreement reflects the intention to establish a legally indisputable practice in Rwanda of receiving and housing refugees who have arrived illegally on the English Channel coast, often packed into rubber boats by smugglers and already transported. Under existing British law, their country has lost their right to asylum or refugee status in the UK from the outset. The group, which already includes more than 10,000 visitors, will be eligible for deportation to Rwanda in the future.