UK's £318 Million Rwanda Asylum Plan Scrapped Amidst European Migration Debate

Jonatan Pallesen, a Copenhagen-based analyst known for his views on immigration, recently ignited controversy with a social media post asserting that "No African or Muslim asylum seeker should ever get the right to live in Europe." Pallesen's tweet, which also dismissed "asylum processing in Rwanda or some such weak idea," comes as the United Kingdom's highly debated plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda has been formally abandoned by the new UK government after costing taxpayers an estimated £318 million.

Pallesen, whose social media profile advocates for "less mass immigration, more births," frequently shares analyses and visualizations related to demographic and migration trends. His statement reflects a hardline stance on European immigration policy, suggesting that "Africa and the Middle East are large enough to house all of them." This perspective aligns with broader anti-immigration sentiments seen in parts of Europe.

The UK's "Migration and Economic Development Partnership" with Rwanda, initiated in April 2022, aimed to deter illegal Channel crossings by relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing, with no option to return to the UK. The policy faced significant legal hurdles, with the UK Supreme Court ruling it unlawful in November 2023 due to concerns about Rwanda's safety and the risk of refoulement. Despite the government's subsequent Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024, the scheme, which had cost at least £318 million, was ultimately scrapped in July 2024 by the incoming Labour government.

Across Europe, the debate over asylum policy, particularly concerning migrants from Africa and the Middle East, remains a central and often contentious issue. The European Union has worked to develop a Common European Asylum System (CEAS) to harmonize procedures and uphold the principle of non-refoulement, in line with the 1951 Geneva Convention. A new Pact on Migration and Asylum, provisionally agreed in December 2023, is expected to enter force in 2024, aiming to create a more comprehensive approach to migration management across member states.