UK’s deportation plan attacks ‘basic dignity,’ lawyers say

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The British government’s plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda undermines the “basic dignity” of people who are escaping war and oppression, a lawyer argued Monday during an appeals court hearing aimed at blocking implementation of the policy. The Court of Appeal in London is hearing an appeal filed by a coalition of groups including immigration rights advocates and public employee unions. They are seeking to overturn a lower court ruling that would allow the first deportation flight to take off as scheduled on Tuesday. Separately, activists are challenging the deportations on a person-by-person basis, seeking to ensure that no migrants will be eligible for deportation even if the flights are allowed to go ahead.