At least five migrants died trying to reach Britain via the Channel on Monday evening, according to reports. French media reports. There were more than a hundred migrants on the ship. A massive search and rescue operation was still underway in the Channel region on Tuesday morning. At least three helicopters and several ships are searching the area.

Reuters news agency quoted an official as saying that local emergency services rescued 47 people on board from the ship. Four of them were taken to hospital, but their injuries were not imminent. More than fifty other migrants are said to have remained on the ship in the hope of reaching Britain.

This fatal accident occurred in the midst of a heated political moment: last night the British Parliament approved a controversial anti-immigration law. This makes it possible to deport asylum seekers – regardless of their origin – to Rwanda. Two years ago, the plan came from Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Since then, it has received strong criticism from human rights organizations. The UK government currently wants to start moving migrants within ten to twelve weeks.

Migrants arriving in the UK via France will be flown to Rwanda. The basic idea is to make the country less attractive to migrants, to prevent life-threatening crossing attempts like the one made on Monday night. The UK government has signed a migration agreement with Rwanda; the country received 370 million pounds (433 million euros) to accept asylum seekers.

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Asylum procedures

In addition, Rwanda receives 151,000 pounds (more than 175,000 euros) for each asylum seeker who actually arrives. Under British law, the migrants are considered illegal in the UK because they reached the island by boat. After arriving in Rwanda, migrants will initially stay in a hotel, but the goal is that they will eventually build their lives there by first going through Rwanda’s asylum procedures. They will then have the opportunity to live and work in Rwanda. However, there is still a possibility of leaving the African country.

The British government has been trying to implement its migration proposals for two years. Previous proposals by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak failed in the Supreme Court. This determined that deportation was impossible because Rwanda was not a safe country. Sunak then adjusted his proposal: he decided that Rwanda was safe. Under current law, asylum seekers can only appeal if they can show that it is not safe for them personally.

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