Britain says its 120 million pound deal with Rwanda will reduce dangerous trips across the English Channel.
Britain's first flight to take asylum seekers to Rwanda did not depart after the European human rights court issued last-minute injunctions to stop the deportation.
In the past few days, representatives for at least 30 individuals earmarked to be on the first flight successfully argued that they should not be deported to Rwanda on health or human rights grounds.
Just a handful of migrants were set to fly from an air force base in south-west England on Tuesday (local time) but, shortly before the plane was due to leave, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) granted injunctions to prevent their deportation.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "I have always said this policy will not be easy to deliver and am disappointed that legal challenge and last-minute claims have meant today's flight was unable to depart."
"It is very surprising that the European Court of Human Rights has intervened despite repeated earlier success in our domestic courts."
She said the government would not be deterred and would prepare for the next flight.
The UK government's plan to send some migrants to the East African country has been criticised by opponents, charities and religious leaders who said it was inhumane, and it has been forced to fight a series of legal challenges in London courts to stop it going ahead.
The plane that was set to transport migrants to Rwanda was to take off from a military base in Wiltshire.(Reuters: Henry Nicholls)
'Last ticket cancelled'
The ECHR's ruling relating to one of the men, an Iraqi, stated he "should not be removed until the expiry of a period of three weeks following the delivery of the final domestic decision in the ongoing judicial review proceedings".
Today seven men and their families have been put through total hell. Why? If our government truly wanted to stop people smugglers and save lives there are more effective and humane options available. The Rwanda plan is brutal, unnecessary and shames our nation.
— Care4Calais (@Care4Calais) June 14, 2022
The High Court in London is due to hold this judicial review in July to decide on the legality of the scheme.
In a post on Twitter, the charity Care4Calais, which has launched legal action on behalf of a number of the migrants, said: "Last ticket cancelled. NO ONE IS GOING TO RWANDA."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an agreement with Rwanda in April where people who entered Britain illegally would be deported to Rwanda.
In exchange for accepting them, Rwanda would receive millions of pounds in development aid.
The deportees would be allowed to apply for asylum in Rwanda, not Britain.
Britain said the 120 million pound ($209 million) deal struck with Rwanda would stem the flow of dangerous cross-Channel trips and smash the business model of people-smuggling networks.
Human rights groups said the policy would put migrants at risk and the UN refugee agency said Rwanda — whose own human rights record is under scrutiny — does not have the capacity to process the claims properly.
Politicians in Denmark and Austria are considering similar proposals.
The UK government has in the past expressed concerns about Rwanda's human rights record.(Reuters: Jean Bizimana)
UK may withdraw from European Convention on Human Rights
The United Nations' refugee chief has called the policy "catastrophic", the entire leadership of the Church of England denounced it as "immoral" and "shameful", and media reports have said Prince Charles had privately described the plan as "appalling".
Mr Johnson — who said his government would not be put off by criticism, "some of it from slightly unexpected quarters" — had earlier commented that legal bids were undermining attempts to support safe routes for asylum seekers.
Asked if Britain might withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, he said: "It is certainly the case that … the legal world is very good at picking up ways of trying to stop the government from upholding what we think is a sensible law."
"Will it be necessary to change some laws to help us as we go along? It may very well be and all these options are under constant review," Mr Johnson said.
Boris Johnson recently survived a no-confidence motion.(AP: Alberto Pezzali)
In early June, Russia's parliament ended ECHR jurisdiction in its country, provoked by its war in Ukraine.
The break removes a legal avenue that Russians, including jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, have used in the past to raise high-profile cases that had been rejected by national courts.
Last November, 27 people died when their boat sank in the waters between France and England.
According to official figures, more than 28,500 people were detected arriving in Britain on small boats last year and the government said its strategy would stop these.
Dozens of migrants, including women and young children, arrived on Tuesday, a Reuters witness in the Channel port of Dover said.
Mr Johnson — fighting for his political life amid concerns about his leadership and ethics — has responded by promising to stop such risky journeys.
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UK plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda in tough migration stance.
Court's power stems from treaty, not EU
The court, which was established in 1959, isn't an EU court.
Its purpose is to make sure members of the Council of Europe adhere to the European Convention on Human Rights..
"It rules on individual or state applications alleging violations of the civil and political rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights," it said.
"The European Convention on Human Rights is an international treaty under which the member states of the Council of Europe promise to secure fundamental civil and political rights, not only to their own citizens but also to everyone within their jurisdiction."
Many millions of people around the globe have been displaced over the past two decades, putting the international consensus on refugees under strain.
The world had more than 26 million refugees in the middle of last year, more than double the number two decades ago, according to the UN refugee agency.
Millions more have left their homes voluntarily, seeking economic opportunities in developed nations.
