UK-Rwanda Migrant Deal Faces Opposition Amid Human Rights Concerns

The controversial agreement, aimed at reducing immigration in the UK, is criticized for potentially exploiting one of the world's poorest countries and ignoring its problematic human rights record.

The UK government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has signed a controversial agreement with Rwanda to deport migrants and asylum-seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda. The deal is part of a broader initiative to reduce immigration, a key focus as the next general election approaches.
The Rwandan government, led by President Paul Kagame, sees the deal as a financial opportunity and a way to avoid accountability for its own policies towards Rwandan refugees, which it has refused to let back into the country over the past three decades.
The British government defends its plan as a solution to the UK’s illegal immigration crisis. However, critics argue that Rwanda, one of the poorest and most densely populated countries in the world, lacks the capacity to absorb and retain foreign refugees and migrants.
The UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership Treaty includes a provision that banks on the Rwandan government enacting legal reforms to address the lack of protection against the risk of refoulement, which was a concern raised by both UNHCR in 2022 and the British Supreme Court when it rejected a previous version of the plan in November 2023.
The House of Lords has called for the new UK and Rwanda treaty to be delayed until Rwanda can prove it is safe and improve its asylum procedures. The bill is poised to face further setbacks, with Sunak having to contend with Tory rebels and legal challenges, as well as soaring costs associated with his Rwanda plans.