The British Parliament last night approved the controversial law that will allow migrants who have entered the United Kingdom irregularly to be sent to Rwanda, after a tug-of-war between the two chambers (Commons and Lords).

The legislative piece, one of the promises of the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was approved after an intense night in which the two chambers exchanged legislation up to five times, in what is called ‘parliamentary pin pon’. The House of Lords (upper) approved the law after deciding not to add more amendments. The commons had rejected all that the peers had sent them.

The legislation is now sent for King Charles III of the United Kingdom to sign for royal assent. Sunak had said yesterday that flights with migrants who have illegally crossed the English Channel – between France and England – will begin to take off in 10 to 12 weeks.

The objective of the legislation promoted by the Executive was to consider Rwanda as a safe country, after the Supreme Court – the highest judicial instance – considered the initial plan illegal. In November, the Supreme Court concluded that the African nation is not safe because migrants could be returned to their countries of origin, from which they fled.

Sunak has explained that the bill is aimed at “dissuade vulnerable migrants from making dangerous journeys and break the business model of the criminal gangs that exploit them”, highlighting that those who arrive “illegally” will not be able to stay in the country. “Our attention is now focused on getting the flights off the ground, and I am clear that nothing will be will stand in our way of achieving this and saving lives,” he added.

For his part, the United Kingdom Home Secretary, James Cleverly, has assured that This is a “historic moment” to stop the arrivals of irregular migrants across the English Channel. “The law will prevent justice from being abused by using false Human Rights allegations to block deportations,” he added on his account on the social network X, formerly Twitter.

Likewise, he highlighted that the British Parliament has proven to be “sovereign” by rejecting the provisional measures imposed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which paralyzed ‘in extremis’ the entry into force of the bill in June. “I promised to do what was necessary to clear the way for the first flight and that is what we have done. Now we work every day to get the flights off the ground,” he added.

A few hours earlier, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, had stated that deportation flights would begin in less than three months “whatever happens”.

The United Kingdom and Rwanda signed a treaty in December 2023 with which Sunak aspired to resolve the doubts that led the British Supreme Court to annul the previous deportation plan, one of the great ‘Tories’ promises to combat the migratory surge and deter arrivals through the English Channel.

For its part, The UN has expressed its concern on several occasions by the scope of the measure and this Monday a group of United Nations rapporteurs has questioned the role of airlines and civil aviation administrations, warning that they could be considered “complicit” in violating International Law if they facilitate in any way way deportations.

However, Sunak has been “confident” about the legality of the new plan, stressing that it respects the United Kingdom’s international obligations, but has once again mentioned the possibility of separating itself from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) if it adopts some type decision in this regard.