More than thirty asylum seekers could board on Tuesday for a one-way trip from England to Rwanda, a third country. A British judge on Friday allowed the contested evictions to run their course. ‘The plan to outsource to Rwanda, one of the world’s poorest countries, the UK’s obligations to refugees, has been controversial since it was announced on April 14’emphasizes the Guardian.
The daily believes that Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, will see this decision “ as an important victory”. The Minister commented that “nothing will stop us from breaking the deadly smuggling market and ultimately saving lives”. The Conservative government hopes that “this measure will discourage asylum seekers from crossing the Channel, showing that many of these cases will now be handled by Rwanda”explains the BBC.
Boris Johnson also welcomed the decision on Twitter. “We cannot allow human traffickers to put lives at risk and our partnership will help break the business model of these ruthless criminals”, wrote the Prime Minister. For Sky News the maintenance of these evictions has everything “desperately awaited good news” au 10, Downing Street. “After the Partygate turmoil and Monday’s vote of confidence, the government will be relieved to have something else to discuss during the media rounds next week”.
Judge Swift of the High Court held that there was a “public interest” to implement the government’s plan. In his view, the risks for asylum seekers mentioned by the complainants are ” the speculation “. As for the cost of the operation, another criticism, “I accept the fact that a deportation to Rwanda will be expensive”did he declare.
The annoyance of Prince Charles
In defense of her measure, Ms Patel insisted on the safety of Rwanda for refugees. the Daily Mail notes, however, that on Friday, the very day of the court ruling, the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo fired two rockets in the direction of Rwanda. Tensions are high between the two countries.