Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519535
NEWS 14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 APRIL 2024 UK Rwanda Bill to become law major illegal migration milestone UK government efforts to stop the boats and tackle illegal mi- gration took a major step for- ward, after the Safety of Rwan- da Bill completed its passage through Parliament overnight on Monday. The Bill's passing means the government can enter the final phase of operational planning to get flights off the ground to Rwanda, pioneering a new re- sponse to the global challenge of illegal migration. Plans are in place to ensure a first flight to Rwanda can be delivered within 10-12 weeks, with multiple flights set to take off after this. The landmark legislation means that going forward, Rwanda should be deemed a safe country for the purposes of relocating people, including in UK courts and tribunals. It will prevent legal challenges from being used to delay or halt a person's removal to Rwanda on the grounds that Rwanda is generally unsafe, or that an in- dividual will be returned to an unsafe country after removal to Rwanda – an act known as re- foulement. The Bill makes it unambigu- ously clear that UK Parliament is sovereign, and the validity of any Act of Parliament is un- affected by international law. Ministers will be able to retain the decision on whether to comply with interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights, for example, a Rule 39 injunction. This vital legislation means we can now proceed with our Rwan- da plan and begin removing peo- ple with no right to be here. The only way to stop the boats is to eliminate the incentive to come – by making clear that if you are here illegally, you will not be al- lowed to stay," Home Secretary James Cleverly said. "Our policy does exactly that and plans are well under way to begin flights within 10-12 weeks." Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the passing of this landmark legislation is not just a step forward but a fundamen- tal change in the global equa- tion on migration. "We introduced the Rwanda Bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs who exploit them. The passing of this leg- islation will allow us to do that and make it very clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay." he said. "Our focus is to now get flights off the ground, and I am clear that nothing will stand in our way of doing that and saving lives." The government is ready to deliver a first relocation flight and teams are working at pace to prepare the infrastructure and processes needed: • an airfield on standby and commercial charter planes booked for specific slots • detention spaces in- creased to 2,200 • 200 trained dedicat ed caseworkers are ready to process claims • the judiciary have made available 25 courtrooms to deal with any legal cas- es quickly and decisively • to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwan- da, there are 500 highly trained individuals ready, with 300 more trained in the coming weeks. Responding to the concerns raised by the Supreme Court, the Safety of Rwanda Bill was in- troduced in December last year and builds upon the UK-Rwan- da Treaty. The new law, which is one of the toughest pieces of legis- lation ever introduced, builds upon the Treaty, reflecting the strength of the Government of Rwanda's protections and com- mitments relocated to Rwanda in accordance with the Treaty. It also: • confirms that, with the new Treaty, Rwanda is safe • prevents UK courts and tribunals from delaying or preventing a person's re- moval to Rwanda on mat- ters relating only to the general safety of Rwanda • allows for an exceptionally narrow route to individual challenge to ensure that the courts will interpret the relevant provisions in accordance with the will of Parliament • disapplies relevant sec- tions of the Human Rights Act 1998 • confirms that only a Min- ister of the Crown can de- cide whether to comply with an interim measure issued by the European Court of Human Rights. In November 2023, the Su- preme Court upheld the law- fulness of resettling illegal migrants for the purposes of de- termining their asylum claims, but required more assurance that they would not be refouled. The internationally binding Treaty between Rwanda and the UK was announced by the Gov- ernment in response to this find- ing and introduces measures to A group of migrants saved in the English Channel are brought to the UK