UK vows to pursue asylum policy after Rwanda flight canceled
Britain has vowed to pursue its controversial policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda after the European human rights court issued last-minute injunctions to stop the deportation of the first group of migrants.
British Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Tuesday she was disappointed that "legal challenge and last-minute claims" meant the first plane carrying asylum seekers did not take off, but insisted that the heavily criticized program would go ahead.
"We will not be deterred," she said in a statement, adding, "Our legal team are reviewing every decision made on this flight and preparation for the next flight begins now."
The first flight taking a handful of asylum seekers was scheduled to depart for Rwanda on Tuesday, but shortly before the plane was due to take off, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) granted injunctions to prevent their deportations.
Patel called the ECHR's intervention "very surprising," vowing that "many of those removed from this flight will be placed on the next."
Rwanda has also said it remained committed to taking in the asylum seekers under the April deal.
"We are not deterred by these developments," Government Spokeswoman Yolande Makolo said. "Rwanda stands ready to receive the migrants when they do arrive and offer them safety and opportunity in our country."
The plan to send those seeking refuge in Britain to Rwanda, an East African country thousands of kilometers away, has come under fire from the UN, rights groups, and church leaders.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also warned that Rwanda does not have the capacity and infrastructure to handle the process, and there is a risk some migrants could be deported to their home countries.
The UK government, however, justifies his policy by saying that the deportation strategy will stop smugglers from flowing migrants across the English Channel.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also defended the scheme, vowing that London would "deliver" on its plan. Johnson told cabinet ministers on Tuesday that there was a "clear distinction" between immigrants entering the UK via safe, legal routes and arriving unofficially.
Karen Doyle, an organizer for the Movement for Justice, which opposes the deportation scheme, accused Johnson of "throwing red meat to racist voters" with the Rwanda plan. Doyle made the claim during an interview on BBC News on Tuesday.
Asked about how she would deal with people smugglers, she said, "Our nearest neighbor, Ireland, has just introduced an amnesty for immigrants."
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