London's High Court has ruled as "legal" the British government's controversial plan to deport migrants who came to Britain illegally to Rwanda.
The court's decision was made at a time when the number of migrant crossings across the English Channel is higher than ever.
"The court found that it was legal for the British government to arrange for asylum seekers to be sent to Rwanda and for their asylum claim to be considered in Rwanda and not in the UK," according to a summary of the judgment published by the high court.
The court assessed that the measures envisaged by the British government are not contrary to the Convention on Refugees.
In April, Boris Johnson's government concluded an agreement with Kigali to deport asylum seekers who arrived in Britain illegally to Rwanda. The aim of the policy is to discourage illegal crossings of the English Channel on small boats.
So far, no one has been transferred to Rwanda, the first flight scheduled for June was canceled after the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, but the government of the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak continues that policy.
Today's court decision relates to an appeal by migrant aid associations such as Care4Calais, Detention Action and Asylum Aid, as well as the public service union PCS.
The UN Commissioner for Refugees has even commented on this issue, stating that "there are no minimum requirements for a fair and reliable asylum system in Rwanda" and that such a policy leads to serious risks of violating the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees.
One of the priorities of the conservative British government is the fight against illegal immigration, which was one of the promises of Brexit, but no more migrants cross the English Channel on small boats.
Since the beginning of the year, 45.000 migrants have arrived on English shores compared to 28.526 in 2021. Four migrants, including one young person, died in an attempt to cross on December 14, a little more than a year after the death of 27 people.
Bonus video:
