5 migrants die crossing English Channel hours after UK approves bill to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda

UK Passes Bill , to Send Asylum Seekers to Rwanda. Following two years of challenges, British parliament has passed the controversial bill, CNN reports. The U.K. government will now be able to redirect asylum seekers to Rwanda, where their claims will be weighed by the East African country. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak celebrated the bill's passage on April 23. . We introduced the Rwanda Bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs who exploit them. , Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, via statement. The passing of this legislation will allow us to do that and make it very clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, via statement. The U.N. and human rights activists have condemned the bill. . Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said. “Protecting refugees requires all countries – not just those neighboring crisis zones – to uphold their obligations.”. This arrangement seeks to shift responsibility for refugee protection, undermining international cooperation and setting a worrying global precedent, Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, via statement . Amnesty International U.K. referred to the legislation as "a stain on this country’s moral reputation" , which "takes a hatchet to international legal protections for some of the most vulnerable people in the world.". Amnesty International U.K. referred to the legislation as "a stain on this country’s moral reputation" , which "takes a hatchet to international legal protections for some of the most vulnerable people in the world.". Since the U.K. remains a "signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights,". the British government could "face legal challenges in the European Court of Human Rights," CNN reports.