Supreme Court Challenge on Rwanda Policy Launches – The AU Times

In April, Interior Minister Priti Patel signed what she described as a “world’s first agreement” with Rwanda in an effort to stop migrants from crossing the Channel.

However, the first deportation flight – which was scheduled to depart on June 14 – was grounded amid a series of legal challenges.

Several asylum seekers, along with the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and groups Care4Calais and Detention Action, are raising concerns about the plan to provide one-way tickets to the East African country.

The Interior Ministry will defend the claims, with a ministry spokesperson previously stating that Rwanda is a “fundamentally safe and secure country, with a track record of supporting asylum seekers”.

Lord Justice Lewis, sitting with Mr Justice Swift, previously said the London hearing will begin on Monday and last for five days, with a second hearing in the Asylum Aid group’s claim taking place in October.

Both decisions are expected to be given in writing simultaneously.

At an earlier hearing, the court was told that Rwanda was initially excluded from the shortlist of potential countries “on the grounds of human rights”.

Judges heard that in an internal memorandum dated March 2021, Foreign Office officials told then Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab that if Rwanda was selected for the deportation policy “we should be prepared to reconsider Britain’s views on Rwanda’s human rights.” and to absorb resulting criticism from the British Parliament and NGOs”.

In another memo, State Department officials said they had discouraged Downing Street from engaging with several countries, including Rwanda, the court was told in written arguments.

The court also heard the British High Commissioner for Rwanda previously stated that the East African country should not be used as an option for the policy, telling the government that it has “been accused of recruiting refugees to conduct armed operations in neighboring countries”.

Another official memo in April this year said the “risk of fraud is very high” and that there is “limited evidence as to whether these proposals will be a sufficient deterrent to those seeking to enter the UK illegally,” judges were told.

The hearing for Lord Justice Lewis and Mr Justice Swift begins Monday at 10:30am.