The House of Commons of the United Kingdom approved the bill that seeks to deport immigrants to Rwanda

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The House of Commons of the United Kingdom approved this Wednesday the bill that seeks to deport migrants to Rwanda. The vote ended with 320 deputies in favor and 276 against, so the plan will now go to the House of Lords for a second examination.

This definition also represented a great relief for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as it was a major threat to his leadership. Since arriving in Downing Street, Sunak has been committed to reducing immigration from the United Kingdom, which has reached record levels, as well as preventing asylum seekers from crossing from France into its territory by boat. That is why he promoted this project, which he considers essential to discourage people from traveling on unauthorized routes.

However, a group of conservative deputies members of his party had raised their opposition to the possible Rwanda Security Law (Asylum and Immigration) and their negative vote could have unfavorably tilted the balance of the president, who bet his political future on the plan.

Among the conservative detractors is former Prime Minister Boris Johnson who, although he is not an MP and did not participate in the vote, did express his support for the dissidents. Finally, these nearly 60 legislators backed down, allowing the initiative to win.

In any case, Sunak must still work to regain the support of the main opposition group, Labor, before the national vote given that his party is plagued by factions. Even in the Lords, the Government does not have a majority and, if it does not obtain more support, it could end up in a new battle between politicians.

Likewise, the text could face legal appeals from humanitarian organizations that further prolong the debate.

The bill, which has faced significant resistance, dates back to April 2022, when Johnson first announced the plan but was blocked by the European Court of Human Rights and local justice. It was later taken up as a response by the current British leader to a ruling by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom dating from the end of 2023, in which it was established that the deportation of asylum seekers to Kigali is illegal, in line with international law.

The initiative establishes Rwanda as a safe country and seeks to give ministers powers to ignore sections of international and British human rights law. In December, the text had already been subjected to an initial two-day evaluation in the House of Commons, which ended with a first approval. (With information from AFP)