UK Home Secretary James Cleverly set to sign new asylum treaty in Rwanda

Britain’s Home Secretary James Cleverly touched down in Rwanda on Tuesday with the aim to sign a new treaty that London hopes will revive controversial plans to transfer migrants to the east African country. During his visit to Rwanda, Cleverly is set to sign the new treaty alongside Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta. The discussions will encompass crucial next steps in the plan, with Cleverly emphasising that Rwanda is considered a safe country. Additionally, he expressed determination to move forward swiftly with the partnership to curb illegal immigration and save lives. The Conservative government seeks to resurrect its halted initiative to transfer asylum-seekers and migrants to Rwanda. This move comes in the wake of the UK Supreme Court’s recent ruling that deemed the previous arrangement unlawful. The judges sided with a lower court decision that the policy was incompatible with Britain’s international obligations because Kigali could forcibly return migrants to places where they could face persecution. This setback poses a challenge for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who faces mounting pressure to curtail immigration to the UK. Undeterred, he is committed to pursuing the controversial project by securing a new treaty, aiming to address concerns raised in the Supreme Court’s ruling. The new agreement is expected to include commitments from Rwanda regarding the treatment of migrants sent there. Sunak’s strategy also involves enacting “emergency legislation” in parliament to designate Rwanda as a safe country, aiming to put an end to the legal challenges surrounding the initiative. In an op-ed for The Sun tabloid, Sunak expressed frustration, stating, “I’m fed up with our Rwanda policy being blocked,” and outlined the government’s efforts to resolve the issue decisively and “stop the boats.” The UK-Rwanda migration “partnership,” established in April of the previous year, envisioned the transfer of individuals who had undertaken what London deems “dangerous or illegal journeys” to Britain on small boats from Europe or concealed in lorries. Despite the government’s insistence that the scheme is crucial to deterring “illegal” immigration across the Channel from France, nearly 30,000 individuals have undertaken the perilous journey this year. Although this figure is lower than the nearly 46,000 in 2022, it falls short of Sunak’s vow to “stop the boats.” With inputs from AFP