The British government planned to proceed on Tuesday with flying immigrants to Rwanda for processing and resettlement, after a court blocked two appeals to the contentious plan on Monday, according to Care4Calais, an aid group involved in the appeal.
The British government last month announced the deal with Rwanda to send some asylum seekers to the African country for an initial payment of 120 million pounds, or about $157 million.
Lord Justice Rabinder Singh of the Court of Appeal said in a statement that “applications for interim relief in this context must be considered on an individual basis and not a generic basis.”
The appeal represented the first legal challenge to a controversial policy that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government announced in April as a means to resettle and process thousands of migrants who have crossed into the country via the English Channel after often perilous journeys from countries like Albania, Iraq, Syria and Sudan. The policy would apply to those who had arrived since January.
Priti Patel, Britain’s home secretary, who traveled to Rwanda in April for the plan’s announcement, said in a statement last week that “Rwanda is a safe country and has previously been recognized for providing a safe haven for refugees.” She added: “We will continue preparations for the first flight to Rwanda, alongside the range of other measures intended to reduce small boat crossings.”
