UK Government plane going to Rwanda

Rwanda Bill passed in House of Lords

On Monday the 22nd, the House of Lords passed UK’s Rwanda bill after the peers un-successfully sent it back to the House of Commons five times. The House of Lords wanted two main amendments to the bill 

Image belongs to Copyright Holder. Image from – Getty Images

  1. An Independent monitoring committee would go to Rwanda, assess the conditions, and decide whether it was a safe country. 
  2. Afghans who served and aided the British Army were exempted from being deported. This was dropped because the House of Lords got a concession from the government guaranteeing this wouldn’t take place. 

The UK expects to fly 2200 asylum seekers to Rwanda in July through three flights.

The ‘Hope Hotel’ in Rwanda will host the migrants. The hotel has been expecting to house migrants since July 2022, when the UK and Rwanda agreed. 

Image belongs to Copyright Holder: From BBC

Who is illegally migrating to the UK?

Between January and April 21st, 2024, there were 6265 small boat crossings across the channel into the UK. The two largest ethnic groups arriving in the UK are Vietnamese and Afghans. The number of hotels used to house migrants has decreased from 398 in October 2023 to 267 in April 2024.  

Illegal migration is rising in this country. Most migrants are young men who are economic migrants and are not escaping political persecution. Almost all migrants cross through the channel which means they go through several safe countries in Europe, before arriving on the shores of Dover.

 The issue with uncontrolled, unregistered illegal migrants is the threat they pose to national security. People who may be dangerous can enter the country to harm the UK and its Citizens. Migration Watch UK has a detailed list of 15 examples where illegal migrants have tried to kill/harm UK Citizens-Migration Watch UK.

Furthermore, migrants who do not share key British Values and do not follow the British Criminal Code, to an extent undermine the social fabric.

Gov.uk provides examples of values at such schools- Departmental advice for maintained schools.

For example, immigrants who come from a country with Sharia law, like Iran, where Women are legally obliged to cover themselves in a Hijab, may tell a British Woman to fully cover herself, despite it being her right not to be fully covered.  

It is one of the reasons why legal immigrants must take “Life in the UK” tests, to familiarise themselves with the culture and law of the UK.  

Is the Rwanda bill good for the UK?

Currently, it seems that the government has taken a step in the right direction to remove people from the UK who have no right to be here. With a crucial election year, it is common to see each party begin to be more nationalistic and more isolationist in some of its policies.  

The question now is, is this too little too late? 


All Images belong to Copyright Holders.

Cover Image – Reuters

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