The law, which seeks to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda, has been deemed incompatible with human rights protections and the Good Friday peace agreement.
The United Kingdom's law to deport asylum-seekers has been ruled unlawful in Northern Ireland, sparking a potential setback for the government's controversial plan to send migrants to Rwanda.
Belfast High Court Justice Michael Humphreys found that the Illegal Migration Act is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights and undermines rights provided in the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.
The law was created to deter thousands of migrants who risk their lives crossing the English Channel to claim asylum in the UK, by creating the prospect that they would be sent to Rwanda. The legislation allows those who have arrived illegally to be deported to a "safe" third country where their claims can be processed.
However, Justice Humphreys ruled that parts of the law violate human rights protections of a post-Brexit deal signed between the UK and European Union last year. That agreement, known as the Windsor Framework, states that the UK must honor the peace accord that largely brought an end to the Troubles, a period of 30 years of violence between British unionists and Irish nationalists.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the government would appeal the judgment, claiming that the Good Friday agreement was not intended to cover issues like illegal migration. However, a lawyer for the plaintiff in the case said that the law would not apply in Northern Ireland.
The ruling is a major setback for Sunak's plan to deport some migrants to Rwanda, which was expected to begin in July. It is unclear what impact the ruling will have on the government's ongoing efforts to deter illegal immigration.
The government has faced criticism for the policy, with many questioning the safety and legality of sending asylum-seekers to Rwanda. The UN Refugee Agency has also expressed concern over the plan.
The law was challenged by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and a 16-year-old Iranian boy who crossed the English Channel last year without any parents and claimed asylum in the UK. The boy, who is living in Northern Ireland, said he would be imprisoned or killed if he's sent back to Iran.
The judge placed a temporary stay on the ruling until later this month, giving the government time to appeal.
