UK court allows first migrant deportation flight to Rwanda
The Court of Appeal in London has refused to grant an injunction to block Britain from sending its first flight of asylum seekers to Rwanda, a plan the United Nations' refugee chief described as "catastrophic"
Britain has agreed to a deal with Rwanda to send some asylum seekers to the African country in return for an initial payment of 120 million pounds ($148 million) and additional sums based on the number of people deported.
The government has not provided details of those selected for deportation but charities say they include people fleeing Afghanistan and Syria.
Judge Rabinder Singh said on Monday they could not interfere with the original "clear and detailed" judgment and refused permission for further appeal. A full hearing to determine the legality of the policy as a whole is due in July.
Protesters outside the court yelled "shame on you" upon hearing the decision.
The government says the deportation strategy will undermine people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants risking their lives by crossing the English Channel in small boats from Europe.
Human rights groups say the policy is inhumane and will put migrants at risk. The UNHCR has said Rwanda, whose own human rights record is under scrutiny, does not have the capacity to process the claims, and there was a risk some migrants could be returned to countries from which they had fled.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, warned on Monday that the UK’s deportation policy to Rwanda sets a “catastrophic” precedent and is “wrong”.
Grandi addressed journalists at a press briefing in Geneva.