The issue of irregular migration remains one of the greatest challenges faced by various European governments. This has led to tensions within the European Union, especially between gateway countries such as Greece and Italy, and the economically stronger inland European nations.
The responsibility for processing asylum requests falls on the first country of arrival, according to the Dublin Regulation, which organizes migration affairs within the European Union. This has placed a burden on Mediterranean EU countries, which are the first arrival points for migrants' boats. While the Regulation has undergone numerous amendments, the increasing numbers of migrants fleeing conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East have only deepened the challenges and divisions among political parties in light of government policies failing to curb the influx.
Rwanda Plan
In the pursuit of innovative solutions to the issue of irregular migration in Europe, a proposal known as the "Rwanda Plan" has gained traction in recent years. Despite being adopted by three consecutive UK governments, the plan has yet to be realized due to substantial legal hurdles encountered on both European and British levels.
The plan involves relocating refugees to a "safe" third country outside Europe. The UK Home Office has signed at least three agreements with Rwanda in persistent attempts to overcome the legal challenges obstructing implementation. These agreements aim to address concerns raised by the European Court of Human Rights and the UK Supreme Court, which have both ruled the Rwanda Plan unlawful, as the third country is not deemed safe, thereby halting its execution to date.
"Raed" (a pseudonym), a refugee who reached British shores via the English Channel early this year on a small boat, expressed to Al Jazeera Net his grave concern about the potential execution of the British deportation plan to Rwanda. The Syrian refugee, who asked for anonymity, pointed out that the criteria proposed for refugees to be relocated to Rwanda fully apply to him. The UK Home Office has specified that the initial phase would target unmarried adults who arrive through dangerous routes such as small boats across the English Channel, after January 1st, 2022.
Raed adds that his life would become unbearable if chosen and insists that he would refuse to go under any circumstances, even at the cost of his life. "We did not flee the war in Syria and cross all these risks to find ourselves in Africa," Raed states. The 22-year-old has been under psychological stress since his arrival in Britain, necessitating repeated medical consultations.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tentatively agreed to discuss the Rwanda concept to weaken the extreme right's footing (Reuters)
A Model to Follow
While the legal stance of the court provided relief to activists, human rights organizations, and the refugees themselves, the rulings have entrenched the acceptance of deportation to a third country, provided safety conditions and protection standards specified in international agreements are met. This has prompted other European governments to consider the Rwanda model as a solution to the problem of irregular refugees, despite the court's stance.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz previously expressed his provisional agreement to discuss the Rwanda idea in December. His statement came as part of his meetings with German state leaders in an effort by his party to halt the electoral gains of the far-right on migration issues.
While refugee deportation proposals face broad opposition from human rights groups in Germany, other German political parties have begun to endorse the idea, including the Free Democratic Party in Germany, as well as widespread currents within the ruling Social Democratic Party.
In 2021, the Danish Parliament voted to adopt a program for resettling refugees in a third country within the framework of a "zero refugees" policy undertaken by the then Social Democratic government. While the Danish parliamentary project did not specify the country to which refugees would be transferred, the Immigration Minister at the time, Mattias Tesfaye, made a surprise visit to Rwanda that year to sign a memorandum of understanding regarding the project.
Non-governmental organizations, including the Danish Refugee Council, opposed the Danish Parliament's move. The Council harshly criticized the lawmakers who voted in favor of the project. Recently, Denmark revoked hundreds of Syrian refugees' residencies on the pretext of their coming from Damascus, deemed safe by the Danish Immigration Service. Concurrently, the government announced its intention to receive 100,000 refugees from Ukraine, despite its "zero refugees" policy.
In a phone call with Eva Singer, the asylum department director at the Danish Refugee Council, Singer told Al Jazeera Net that the Danish project represented the political will of the Social Democratic Party-led government, while the current coalition government pursues the same plan but within a joint framework at the European Union level or with several other EU countries.
The Danish Parliament voted to adopt a refugee resettlement program in a third country as part of a zero-refugees policy (AFP)
Comprehensive European Agreement
In addition to the UK's relentless efforts to turn the Rwanda Plan into reality, the initiatives taken by the Danish government represent the most serious steps at the EU level. The Danish coalition government suspended its talks with Rwanda on opening refugee reception centers there, hoping for a similar agreement at the EU level. The Danish Immigration Minister, Kaare Dybvad, commenting on the pause in talks with Rwanda, said his government still harbors the same ambition but in a different manner, alluding to ongoing attempts to realize an EU-wide project. He advocates establishing reception centers in cooperation with the EU or with several other countries.
Singer reiterated to Al Jazeera Net the persistent concerns that both Denmark and the EU do not want to take responsibility for protecting refugees. Instead, European governments seek to shift that responsibility to a third party outside the Union. She questioned the rights of refugees in these countries and their track record in protecting them. "What does 'deportation to a third country' mean for these refugees?" Singer asked. She argued that many issues need to be clearly defined before discussing whether a designated country is sufficiently safe. Singer suspects that there is always a political aspect to the project.
Germany is also pushing towards a European Union-level agreement to resettle refugees in a third country. Other potential countries discussed by German decision-makers in addition to Rwanda include Senegal and Morocco. Germany aims to propel the EU to accomplish models comparable to the Union's 2016 agreement with Turkey to curb refugee flows towards Greece by completing supplementary agreements to reduce migration across the Mediterranean from North Africa.
Israel and Rwanda: The Early Deportation Initiatives
Worth noting is that the plan to repatriate refugees to Rwanda is not a global precedent. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) revealed a 2015 agreement for the deportation of refugees between Israel and an unnamed third country, believed by media sources to be Rwanda and Uganda. The BBC disclosed that approximately 20,000 refugees have been deported under this program or others by 2018.
The third-country deportation concept is not limited to Rwanda, as the Australian government has implemented a third-country resettlement program since 2001, initially taking the form of detention centers for refugees in areas outside Australian territory. Pacific islands like Nauru and Papua New Guinea became key destinations for Australia's deportation program, with the Australian Border Force announcing that more than 4,000 migrants were subjected to the program in these countries from 2012-2019.
The BBC reported that 13 of these migrants died as a result of violence, medical negligence, or suicide.
The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak's government, has introduced a draft resolution titled "Rwanda Safety" to the British House of Commons, aiming to address the concerns of the UK Supreme Court, which ruled the plan for deportation to Rwanda illegal. Despite intense opposition to the new bill, Sunak succeeded in passing the draft through Parliament. The "Rwanda Safety" bill has surpassed the second reading in the House of Commons and will undergo two more stages preceding the third and final reading in the House of Lords.
