UK judge allows government to begin sending asylum seekers to Rwanda

In April, the British government announced it had agreed a deal with Rwanda to send asylum-seekers to the East African country.

Refugee rights groups and a trade union representing UK Border Force personnel challenged the plan, arguing Home Secretary Priti Patel's policy was "unlawful on multiple bases," and sought an injunction to stop the plane from taking off.

However, Justice Jonathan Swift ruled on Friday that there was a “material public interest” in allowing Patel to pursue the policy.

Now, the UK government can go ahead with its plans to repatriate 31 asylum seekers to Rwanda on June 14.

Swift's ruling was welcomed by government officials, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling it good news.

The home secretary, who has been facing a wave of domestic and international opposition for weeks, has stressed that illegal asylum seekers must either return to their home country or the country from which they came to Britain.

Meanwhile, human rights groups say the UK administration’s decision violates all international law because Rwanda is not currently secure enough to repatriate asylum seekers.

Laura Dubinsky, a lawyer representing the UN refugee agency, said the would-be refugees were at risk of "serious, irreparable harm" if sent to Rwanda, and that the UN had "serious concerns about Rwandan capacity".

Asylum seekers' lawyers raised concerns about shortcomings in the Rwandan asylum process and the possibility of sending people to countries where they are being persecuted.