London’s High Court is set to decide on Monday whether the British government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is legal.
The UK has planned to send thousands of migrants who arrived in the country by sea to Rwanda, which is about 6,400 kilometers (3,977 miles) away from its shores.
British PM Rishi Sunak has announced plans to clamp down on illegal immigration. His administration wants to restart the flights to Rwanda, despite opposition from other political parties, as well as international bodies like the UN.
The verdict will be decided by Judges Jonathan Swift and Clive Lewis, and will be delivered at 1030 GMT.
The initial deportation flight was blocked in June, due to a last-minute injunction by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The move was challenged by a judicial review in the London High Court.
If the government’s move is declared legal, there could be further appeals in Britain’s courts. The ECHR injunction prevents immediate deportations, until legal action is concluded.
The asylum seekers’ lawyers said the government’s policy does not comply with human rights conventions. They also said Rwanda does not have the capacity to deal with the migrants, and some of them could be returned to the countries they came from, such as Syria, Sudan and Iraq.
The government says the move will deter migrants from crossing over to the UK for refuge. The policy is based on Australia’s program of sending migrants to Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
The plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was first announced by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. It was carried forward by his successor Liz Truss, and then Sunak.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said it is her “dream” to finally see a plane carrying migrants take off for the Rwandan capital Kigali. Immigration has become an important topic of discussion among voters in the country.
A record number of migrants, more than 40,000, have arrived from France to the UK this year. Many are from Iran, Afghanistan, or other war-torn countries, wishing to seek asylum in Britain.
Last week, a boat with migrants sank while crossing the English Channel, killing four migrants.