I am hesitant to speak too soon, but it seems the Rwanda plan, which has dominated my life in recent weeks, in terms of time, energy and headspace, may be dead and gone. Even if / when that proves to be the case, it has left a trail of devastation in its wake. When people have asked (or assumed) that the news of its demise must have come with a great sense of relief, and also a lessening of the hectic pace of the past few weeks, my response has been measured: yes, of course; but also, well no.
I was in a meeting recently where someone described those few weeks after the Safety of Rwanda Law passed as having been like a tsunami. It seemed a very apt image. The damage in the moment was immense, but now that the wave has passed through, the clean-up operation is also going to be long and slow and difficult. We will be picking up the pieces for quite some time.
Some of that 'clear-up' is entirely practical. It is no secret that I am never the best at keeping on top of admin and my email inbox, but I am sure that I am not the only one now playing catch-up on a million 'not urgent' tasks, some of which have grown out of the response to the Rwanda plan itself, many more of which are a backlog which have built up and now acquired a certain urgency by having been even more neglected than usual. I know I now need to make a concerted effort to get my to do list back down to a manageable length ... but the clear-up after the wave is about much more than that.
It is also about the significant emotional impact that the last few weeks has had: on those at risk of the Rwanda plan, on those who were or are detained and those who saw it happen to their friends, on all those subject to immigration control even if not specifically at risk of Rwanda who were remined again of the cruelty of which these systems are capable, as well as on those of us trying to offer support in the midst of all the awfulness. Like the interminable jobs list, none of that is just going to go away. This too will take effort and energy and time and intention to begin to heal and rebuild. It will take care and conversation and community and the creation of safe spaces. And there will still be sore spots and scars that need to be acknowledged and held.
And then, after the wave of destruction and the clear-up, there is is the creation of space to reflect on the 'what next'; on how we rebuild, how we build on the movement of solidarity and continue to fight against the hostile environment. Like many others, of course I greeted with joy the news that the Rwanda plan might be finished. We need to celebrate the victories, big or small. But my celebrations remain tentative, and not only because it isn't yet guaranteed. If this one particular facet of the hostile environment is on its way to being dismantled, the policies and rhetoric of hostility are not going away any time soon. The scapegoating and criminalisation of those who simply dared to seek safety began long before the Rwanda plan had been dreamt up, and continues apace. Marginally less bad can still be utterly awful for those trapped in this system. Taking an emergency response and turning it into a sustained movement for systemic change will take time and energy, but it will be time and energy well spent.
So yes, of course, I am very glad the wave has subsided. But the work still goes on!
