LONDON (AP) — The leader of the Church of England said Monday that Britain will undermine its standing in the world if it enacts a government plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda.Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said U.K. politicians were seeking to “outsource our moral and legal responsibility for asylum seekers and refugees.”
Speaking as a member of Parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, Welby said that “a pick-and-choose approach to international law undermines our global standing.”
“We can, as a nation, do better than this bill,” he said.
Members of the Lords on Monday began debating the government’s Safety of Rwanda Bill, which is designed to overcome a legal block on a plan to send migrants who reach Britain across the English Channel in small boats to the East African country.
The policy, under which the asylum-seekers would stay permanently in Rwanda, is key to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” bringing unauthorized migrants to the U.K. Sunak argues that deporting unauthorized asylum-seekers will deter people from making risky journeys and break the business model of people-smuggling gangs.
No one has yet been sent to Rwanda under the plan, which human rights groups call inhumane and unworkable. The U.K. Supreme Court ruled in November that the policy was illegal because Rwanda isn’t a safe country for refugees.
In response to the court ruling, Britain and Rwanda signed a treaty pledging to strengthen protections for migrants. Sun …
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Speaking as a member of Parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, Welby said that “a pick-and-choose approach to international law undermines our global standing.”
“We can, as a nation, do better than this bill,” he said.
Members of the Lords on Monday began debating the government’s Safety of Rwanda Bill, which is designed to overcome a legal block on a plan to send migrants who reach Britain across the English Channel in small boats to the East African country.
The policy, under which the asylum-seekers would stay permanently in Rwanda, is key to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” bringing unauthorized migrants to the U.K. Sunak argues that deporting unauthorized asylum-seekers will deter people from making risky journeys and break the business model of people-smuggling gangs.
No one has yet been sent to Rwanda under the plan, which human rights groups call inhumane and unworkable. The U.K. Supreme Court ruled in November that the policy was illegal because Rwanda isn’t a safe country for refugees.
In response to the court ruling, Britain and Rwanda signed a treaty pledging to strengthen protections for migrants. Sun …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]