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As British politicians debate a bill aimed at deporting illegal migrants to Africa, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has warned that the action would diminish the international standing of Britain as it seeks to \u201coutsource our legal and moral responsibilities for refugees and asylum seekers when other countries far poorer are already supporting multitudes more than we are now.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a January 29 speech<\/a> to the House of Lords, Welby criticized the government\u2019s Safety of Rwanda Bill<\/a>, 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 nation of Rwanda.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy Lords, in almost every tradition of global faith and of humanism around the world the dignity of the individual is at the heart of what is believed,\u201d said Welby, the head of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion and a member of the House of Lords.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy Lords, it has already been said, and I agree with it, that the way this bill \u2026 works is to obscure the truth that all people, asylum seekers included, are of great value,\u201d the archbishop added. \u201cWe can, as a nation, do better than this bill.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The government\u2019s deportation strategy<\/a>, wherein asylum seekers would reside permanently in Rwanda, plays a crucial role in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak\u2019s commitment to \u201cstop the boats\u201d transporting unauthorized migrants to Britain. Sunak contends that deporting unauthorized asylum seekers will discourage individuals from undertaking perilous journeys, thereby disrupting the operational model of human smuggling organizations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n No illegal migrant has so far been relocated to Rwanda<\/a> as part of the government\u2019s initiative, which human rights organizations have criticized as both inhumane and impractical. In November 2023, Britain\u2019s Supreme Court deemed the policy unlawful, citing concerns that Rwanda does not provide a secure environment for refugees.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWith this bill the Government is continuing to seek good objectives in the wrong way,\u201d Welby said<\/a> in his speech. \u201cIt is damaging for asylum seekers in need of protection \u2026,\u201d he added. \u201cIt is damaging in respect of constitutional principles and the rule of law.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Following November\u2019s court decision, Britain and Rwanda entered into an agreement<\/a>, committing to enhancing safeguards for migrants. The Conservative government led by Sunak asserts that this treaty empowers them to enact legislation designating Rwanda as a secure destination<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n