The scene on the French beach was chaotic. On Monday night, just as Britain's Rwanda bill was passed into law, a group of men dragged an inflatable boat towards the sea, while scores of would-be migrants ran towards it.

They clamberedTo climb awkwardly or with effort especially by using both the hands and the feet. aboard until the boat was dangerously overloaded. But for some the end had already come.

Two people had drowned, while three appeared to have been trampledTo trample is to step heavily on something or someone, causing damage or injury. to death.

The idea is to send asylum seekers and people arriving in Britain illegally to the African country for their cases to be considered. Even those granted asylum will have to stay in Rwanda.

The government says if migrants know they might end up in Africa, they will not risk crossing the Channel in small boats.

From the start, the plan faced legal challenges. Sending asylum seekers to another country was seen as avoiding Britain's responsibilities. The fact that Rwanda has a poor human rights record made the situation worse.

Under international law, people cannot be sent to countries where they will be at risk. At the end of last year, Britain's Supreme Court ruled that the scheme was illegal because Rwanda could not be trusted to treat migrants well.

To get around this, the government introduced a bill stating that Rwanda is a safe country, whatever anybody says. This is the bill that has just been passed despite many objections by the House of Lords.

According to one of its members, the benefits of the bill remain to be seen: "The Rwanda bill is a legal fiction that makes the law look like an ass, and those who make it, asses."

Is this a shameful moment in British history?

Yes! Britain has a responsibility to look after persecuted people, and you cannot make a country safe simply by saying that it is.

No! Illegal migration is a huge problem which requires radical solutions, and this will deter people smuggling.