An expulsion flight that will take the first asylum seekers to Rwanda next week could go ahead, the High Court has ruled.
They will be the first migrants to be sent there to process their asylum applications since the government announced the political controversy in April.
A judge has refused to grant a precautionary measure requested by militants to block the outbound flight to the East African country scheduled for next Tuesday.
However, the court also authorized human rights groups to appeal the decision, which they say will be made on Monday.
More than 30 people who arrived in the UK illegally will be on the plane in Rwanda the next day, and the Home Office will schedule more flights this year.
Lawyers for about 100 migrants had filed legal appeals asking them to stay. Activists said the government’s plan was “unsafe” and pledged to continue fighting, claiming that “forcibly deporting people … could profoundly damage their mental health and their future”.
The Interior Ministry argues that the policy will deter people from crossing the Canal dangerously from France in small, weak vessels run by smugglers. Officials believe the disposal plan is in the public interest and should not be stopped.
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Welcoming the ruling, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “We cannot allow human traffickers to put their lives at risk and our world-leading partnership will help break the business model of these ruthless criminals.”
Interior Minister Priti Patel added: “We will not be deterred from breaking the traffic of deadly people and ultimately saving lives.”
Image: The Minister of the Interior, Priti Patel, has celebrated the court sentence
He also insisted that Rwanda is a “safe country and has previously been recognized for providing a safe haven for refugees.”
Up to 130 people have been notified that they could be removed.
Two campaign groups – Detention Action and Care4Calais – joined the PCS Union and four individual asylum seekers took legal action against the Ministry of the Interior.
The judge, Jonathan Swift, ruled against the claim and said, “I do not consider the balance of cohabitation to favor the granting of generic relief.”
He added: “There is a material public interest in the Minister of the Interior being able to implement immigration decisions.”
Graeme McGregor of Detention Action told Sky News: “We are obviously disappointed with this initial High Court decision. We have been granted an appeal and this appeal will be filed on Monday. so we’ll see what the result of this is.
“And we continue to be very concerned about the safety and well-being of those 30 people who are being threatened with being sent to Rwanda.”
Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, said: “We are deeply concerned about the well-being of people who may be forcibly deported to Rwanda, a destination that could profoundly damage their mental health and their future.”
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1:10 Rwanda’s scheme is “insensitive”
The court heard that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had a number of concerns about the asylum process in Rwanda, including discriminatory access to asylum, including for LGBT people. , lack of legal representation and interpreters, and difficulties in appealing.
Read more: Syrian and Afghan refugees on first deportation flight to Rwanda, charities say. An asylum seeker who fled the war says he would rather die than be sent to Rwanda. The Archbishop of Canterbury criticizes the government’s plans, saying they are ungodly. Why are migrants sent to Rwanda and how will it work?
In the first stage of the legal action, filed today, Raza Husain QC, for the plaintiffs, told the High Court, “The system is not secure. It’s not that it’s not secure after July, it’s just not safe.
“You may be arbitrarily denied access. If you enter, there are concerns about the impartiality of decision-making.”
The Interior Ministry has said that five more people who were to be deported will not be sent to Rwanda after their expulsion instructions were canceled.
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The court also said a second flight could be scheduled for Thursday, which the Interior Ministry denied.
The High Court is due to hear a new policy challenge on Monday, presented by the refugee charity Asylum Aid and supported by the Freedom From Torture campaign group.