The Rwanda program has faced legal challenges since it was first proposed in 2022.
The British government's controversial plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda passed their final hurdle on Monday, after a marathon battle between the upper and lower houses of parliament that lasted well into the night.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his ruling Conservatives have tried to push through legislation that will force judges to consider the East African country a safe third country.
They also want to give decision-makers on asylum claims the power to ignore parts of international and domestic human rights law to avoid a British Supreme Court ruling that sending migrants on one-way tickets to Kigali was illegal.
But the government faced a parliamentary battle to achieve this, with the House of Lords, which scrutinizes bills, repeatedly sending proposed legislation back to the House of Commons with amendments.
Colleagues, who have criticized the bill as inadequate, specifically wanted a requirement that Rwanda should not be treated as safe until an independent oversight body says so.
They also wanted UK agents, allies and employees abroad, including Afghans fighting alongside British forces, to be granted an exemption from their removal.
MPs in the House of Commons, where the Tories have a majority, have rejected every amendment and asked the Lords to think again in a back-and-forth process known as 'parliamentary ping-pong'.
The unelected Senate, where there is no overall majority for any party, continued to stand in their way.
But shortly before midnight (11:00 PM GMT), they finally gave in to the will of elected MPs and agreed not to make any further changes, breaking the deadlock and ensuring that the bill would now receive royal assent to pass into law law to be transposed.
Sunak's government is under increasing pressure to reduce the record number of asylum seekers crossing the Channel from northern France in small boats, especially after promising a tougher approach to immigration after Britain left the European Union.
Challenges
The Rwanda program – criticized by UN human rights experts and groups supporting asylum seekers – has faced legal challenges since it was first proposed in 2022.
That year, the first deportees were taken off a flight at the last minute following an order from the European Court of Human Rights. Two years later, no migrants have been sent.
The National Audit Office, a watchdog for government spending, has estimated it will cost 540 million British pounds ($665 million) to deport the first 300 migrants – almost 2 million pounds per person.
Charities have said the plan is unworkable and, given the small number of people involved, would do little to tackle the backlog of asylum applications.
Other critics say it sets a dangerous precedent for Parliament legislating on an issue already deemed illegal by the courts, and will damage Britain's international standing and moral authority.
Rwanda – a small country of 13 million people – claims to be one of the most stable countries in Africa. But human rights groups accuse former President Paul Kagame of ruling in a climate of fear and suppressing dissent and freedom of expression.
Sunak announced earlier on Monday that the government was ready and had plans for the first flights to depart within 10 to 12 weeks, promising a wave of deportations “whatever happens” during the summer months.
The prime minister is banking on the flagship 'stop the boats' policy to act as a deterrent and give his beleaguered Tory party an electoral boost as the country prepares to go to the polls later this year.
The Conservatives have consistently trailed the main opposition Labor party in opinion polls and are on course to be dumped from power after 14 years.
Sunak's plans could still be held up by legal challenges, and UN rights experts have suggested that airlines and aviation regulators could be in breach of internationally protected human rights laws if they take part in deportations.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)