Britain and Rwanda signed a new agreement on Tuesday in a bid to revive London’s controversial proposal to deport migrants to the African country, three weeks after it rejected an earlier project.

The British government is trying to defend a symbolic move in its policy against illegal immigration, after the UK Supreme Court struck down the first project in mid-November.

The new agreement was signed by Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta and British Home Secretary James Cleverly in Kigali.

“We have pursued this partnership with the UK because we believe that we have a role to play in this illegal immigration crisis,” Biruta said at a press conference, where Cleverly said he felt “a great deal of admiration for the Rwandan government, which has received great praise.”

Security “guarantee” stands out

The new agreement “will address the Supreme Court’s concerns by ensuring, in particular, that Rwanda will not expel persons transferred to another country within the framework of the association,” which the Home Office statement previously indicated was one of the UK judge’s main concerns.

The 43-page text is “legally binding” under international law and provides a guarantee that migrants expelled to Rwanda “cannot be expelled to another country where their life or freedom is threatened,” according to the UK Home Office.

The new agreement includes the establishment of “a joint court with Rwandan and British judges in Kigali to ensure the safety of migrants and that no migrant sent to Rwanda is expelled to their country,” the deputy spokesman told a Rwandan government press conference, Alain Mukuralinda. “And he will also make sure to listen to all the complaints of migrants,” he added.

Once signed, the text must be ratified by the British and Rwandan parliaments.

EL(afp, efe)