Explainer: What is the UK’s Rwanda migrant deportation plan?

Explainer: What is the UK’s Rwanda migrant deportation plan?

Reuters says Britain’s Supreme Court will hand down its ruling on Wednesday on whether the British government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful.

Here are details about the case and the issue:

WHY IS IMMIGRATION SUCH AN ISSUE IN BRITAIN?

Taking back control of the country’s borders and ending the free movement of people was a major factor that led to the 2016 vote for Britain to leave the European Union.

Successive Conservative governments had promised to cut net migration to under 100,000 annually before dropping that pledge before an election in 2019.

While official data recording has changed, net immigration has continued to rise since Brexit, hitting a record of 606,000 in 2022, partly due to new visa routes for arrivals from Ukraine and Hong Kong.

Many Britons, particularly those in demographics targeted by the Conservatives, such as older voters, are opposed to greater migration, arguing it puts pressure on already stretched local services and fearing it damages community cohesion.

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/what-is-uks-rwanda-migrant-deportation-plan-2023-11-15/