UK’s “Stop the Boats” Illegal Immigration Bill Passes Through Parliament and Becomes Law

The contentious UK government measures to halt the hundreds of migrants who arrived in tiny boats on British beaches on Tuesday have passed their last parliamentary test.

At a late-night meeting, members of the unelected upper chamber overcame a number of objections to the government’s Illegal Migration Bill, which is crucial to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s commitment to “stop the boats.”

In a series of votes, members’ proposals including safeguards against modern slavery and time limits for holding young migrants were rejected.

Following the formality of “royal assent” from King Charles III, the bill—which means anybody coming by boat would be denied the ability to petition for asylum in the UK—will now become law.

To discourage illegal immigration, the Act provides provisions for the relocation of any unauthorized entrants to “safe” third nations, such as Rwanda.

On a risky path that has seen an increase in traffic every year since 2018, more people have traveled there every year. In 2022, more than 45,000 migrants landed on the coasts of southeast England on small boats, a 60 percent yearly increase.

The Rwanda proposal, revealed by the then-prime minister Boris Johnson last year, was abruptly stopped by the independent European Court of Human Rights and is currently being litigated.

Following a ruling by three Court of Appeal judges that Rwanda could not be regarded as a safe third country, the UK government said last month that it would appeal the decision.

The decision came after 10 refugees and a group that helps asylum seekers challenged the policy.

While expressing respect for the court, Sunak said that he disagreed “fundamentally” with the justices’ judgments.

There haven’t been any deportation flights to Rwanda until yet.

Rights organizations charge Rwanda, which has been controlled by President Paul Kagame with an iron grip since the end of the 1994 genocide that claimed about 800,000 lives, of repressing free expression and opposition.