UK Supreme Court hearing scrutinizes legality of Rwanda migrant deportation policy

Three days of arguments have begun at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on Monday (9 October) with the UK government arguing its policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda is safe, while lawyers for migrants from Vietnam, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Sudan contend it’s unlawful and inhumane.
The Home Office has brought the challenge after the court of appeal ruled in June that the multimillion-pound deal – under which some people who arrive in the UK via irregular means would be sent to Rwanda to have their asylum applications processed – was unlawful. The hearing comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government battles to deal with irregular migration ahead of elections next year. Rwanda is a country that “imprisons, tortures and murders” its opponents, including those who have already fled the country, Raza Husain KC, representing asylum seekers challenging the UK government’s Rwanda policy, told five senior judges at the UK’s supreme court. He added that opponents of the Rwandan government were at risk of police violence and “absolute repression”.
Meanwhile, the UK government is arguing that the scheme is lawful and safe. With more than 25,000 people estimated to have arrived in the UK by boat as of 2 October, the deportation policy is one of Sunak’s key measures which seeks to reduce the amount of migrants seeking asylum in the country. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to “stop the boats” as a top priority to curb unauthorized immigration. Sir James Eadie KC, for the Home Office, told the court there was a strong public interest in taking steps to deter people taking the “perilous” journey across the Channel to reach the UK. He said the government attached “considerable importance” to its Rwanda deportation policy, adding there was “a serious and pressing need to take effective steps that will act as a deterrent to those undertaking the perilous and sometimes life-threatening journey, typically across the Channel, from a safe country”.