LONDON (AP) — A key plank in the British government’s plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda is expected to become law this week, but opponents plan new legal challenges that could keep deportation flights grounded.
A bill aimed at overcoming a U.K. Supreme Court block on sending migrants to Rwanda is expected to pass Parliament this week after the government overcomes efforts to water it down in the House of Lords.
The Rwanda plan is key to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ’s pledge to “stop the boats” bringing unauthorized migrants to the U.K., and Sunak has repeatedly said the long-delayed first flights will take off by June.
It has been two years since Britain and Rwanda signed a deal that would see migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to the East African country, where they would remain permanently. The plan has been challenged in the courts, and no one has yet been sent to Rwanda under an agreement that has cost the U.K. at least 370 million pounds ($470 million).
NBA playoffs: Edwards leads Wolves to 98
Exquisite suites and unrivalled experiences
United Airlines flight is forced to DIVERT after a dog POOPED in first class aisle
Bridges across the US that suffered same fate as Francis Scott Key in Baltimore
Amir Khan's £11.5m luxury wedding venue finally hosts its first marriage: Bride arrives on horse
3 jailed for Hong Kong's priciest art heist, after selling billion
Core blimey! Scientists discover how to squeeze even more nutrients from apples
We're Americans who lived in the UK for six months
Independent UN experts urge Yemen’s Houthis to free detained Baha'i followers
Inside 'the best premium economy cabin in the WORLD': The Mail tests out EVA Air's award
Amtrak train hits pickup truck in upstate New York, 3 dead including child
Biden pledges 'relentless diplomacy' on global challenges