UK to Deport Illegal Migrants to Rwanda: Bill Approved

Rishi Sunak's Rwandan deportation bill has been approved by the UK Parliament and will become law after colleagues finally refused to amend it, The Guardian reports.

The bill is expected to receive royal assent in the near future. Home Office sources said they have already identified a group of illegal migrants with weak legal claims to stay in the UK who will be part of the first tranche to be sent to East Africa in July.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says deportations are expected to begin within 10-12 weeks, with migrants identified for the first flight being detained and held as early as this week.

Sunak has placed the bill to deport asylum seekers arriving in the UK illegally via Kigali at the centre of his attempts to stop small boats crossing the Channel.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said it was a "landmark moment in our plan to stop the boats".

In a video posted on social media, he said: "The Rwanda Security Bill has been passed in parliament and will become law within days. This law will help prevent people from abusing the law by using false human rights claims to block removal. And it makes it clear that the UK Parliament is sovereign, giving the government the power to reject interim blocking measures imposed by European courts."

Under the UK scheme, undocumented asylum seekers arriving in the UK will be sent to Rwanda, where their asylum claims will be processed and, if approved, they will be allowed to remain in Rwanda.

In Kigali, the government said it was "delighted" to pass the bill and looked forward to "welcoming those resettled in Rwanda".

The East African country is reportedly due to pay a further £50 million ($62 million) from London when the legislation officially becomes law in the coming days, as part of a deal that has already cost British taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds .