Groups opposing the deportation plan have said they are horrified at the decision.
Charities have vowed to continue fighting after the High Court ruled that the UK Government’s “cruel” Rwanda deportation scheme is lawful.
On Monday Britain’s High Court ruled that a plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is legal but that the government must consider the circumstances of each case before deporting anyone.
The decision is likely to lead to further legal challenges after the case was raised in the courts by asylum-seekers, aid groups and a border officials’ union.
Justice Clive Lewis said: “The court has concluded that it is lawful for the government to make arrangements for relocating asylum-seekers to Rwanda and for their asylum claims to be determined in Rwanda rather than in the United Kingdom.”
It was decided that the policy did not breach Britain’s obligations under the U.N. Refugee Convention or other international agreements.
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman claimed in the House of Commons that the deicsion “thoroughly vindicates the Rwanda partnership”.
However, the court reportedly deemed that the Home Secretary acted unlawfully in her treatment of the eight individuals who were targeted by the Rwanda policy and that their claims must be reconsidered.
Detention Action, the PCS Union and Care4Calais - all of whom brought lawsuits in the first instance - are considering their next steps and the possibility of an appeal, with the PCS describing the move to deport asylum seekers in this was as “morally reprehensible”.
James Wilson, deputy director of Detention Action, said: "We're disappointed that the High Court has found the removal of refugees to an autocratic state which tortures and kills people is lawful.
“The Rwanda policy is brutal and harmful and we will now consider an appeal against today's judgement."
Those supporting refugees in Scotland have hit out at the move.
In a statement, the Scottish Refugee Council said: “We are horrified that the High Court has ruled that the Government’s cruel Rwanda scheme is lawful.
“The UK Government’s abhorrent UK-Rwanda deal does nothing to fix the UK’s broken asylum system. Instead, it threatens to destabilise the international system of refugee protection.
“The Rwanda deal is unethical, amoral and damaging. Just because something is legal, does not make it right. The UK Government is failing to uphold its responsibilities to support people in need of safety.
“We will continue to oppose this inhumane and unworkable policy. Refugee rights are human rights. Refugee rights are all of our rights.”
Human Rights Watch UK director Yasmine Ahmed added: “It is a dark day for the rights of the most vulnerable and the legal protections established for those seeking sanctuary in the wake of the second world war.”
