Asylum Aid, a leading UK charity providing free legal advice and representation to asylum seekers and refugees, announced on Friday that it was launching legal action against the Home Office’s Safety of Rwanda plan to “ensure that all individual cases against removal to Rwanda are properly considered.”

The charity said its legal action against the Rwanda plan aims to ensure the government does not overlook “evidence of individual risk in Rwanda cases,” and to prevent cases from being unlawfully blocked from being admitted into the asylum system. It further said it intends to proceed with a judicial review if the government refuses to make amendments to its policy.

The charity initially challenged the Rwanda plan at the UK High Court in October 2022, where they argued the plan was “unfair” because it limits the time for those seeking asylum to make their case and get to court. Moreover, they argued the policy does not give applicants the right to make representations on the general safety of Rwanda. The court eventually ruled the timescale was not unfair and that people have no right to argue that Rwanda is generally unsafe. It further found applicants don’t need to have a lawyer to make their case.

The Rwanda deal has been a topic of intense debate in the UK since its introduction in 2022. After the Supreme Court ruled that the plan was unlawful in December, the government introduced its Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 which recently received royal assent. The Act received widespread criticism, notably from the UN, urging its withdrawal.

UK authorities began last week detaining migrants it plans to deport. Police also arrested 45 protestors attempting to prevent the removal of asylum seekers from a London hotel to the Bibby Stockholm barge. Protesters aimed to block the coach which was sent to transfer asylum seekers to the barge, as it was criticized for being unsuitable for housing people. Three people have been charged with obstruction of the highway.