The first group of asylum seekers deported to France under Labour’s “one in, one out deal” have spoken of their fear of being pursued by smugglers and being forcibly returned to their home countries.
The men spoke just hours before a larger group of asylum seekers were due to be forcibly removed to France on a private charter flight to Paris early on Thursday morning, with a second drop off in Albania planned. It is thought that at least seven people will be removed in a significant ramping up of ‘one in, one out’ removals.
Speaking from a homeless shelter in Paris in their first media interview, a group of six asylum seekers from different conflict zones told the Guardian they will hide if the French authorities try to move them to a European country where they had been fingerprinted before they arrived in the UK.
As the UK is no longer part of the EU they are unable to check asylum seekers’ fingerprints on an EU-wide database. But France does have access.
“We are very frightened of what will happen to us,” said one. “We were told we can claim asylum in France but nobody has explained to us what we need to do. I escaped from the smugglers in Calais when I travelled to UK and I am scared they will find me here and kill me.”
A Home Office leaflet given to the asylum seekers detained in the UK states: “You will be accommodated by the French authorities for the first days of your arrival where the procedures you are eligible for will be explained. These procedures include applying for asylum, the examination of the right to stay and financial assistance if you choose to return to your country of origin.”
A second asylum seeker said: “One of the asylum seekers who was with us has already left France to go to another part of Europe because he is scared about the fingerprinting. He left France with no jacket and no blanket.”
Of the group the Guardian spoke to two say they are 17 years old but the Home Office determined that they are over 18. “I am a boy who was forcibly removed to France,” said one.
“We have not received any help with housing, clothes, education or anything since we arrived in France,” said another.
One member of the group sent a photo of the cramped conditions in a shelter for homeless people they have been placed in. Beds with simple mattresses are placed in close proximity to one another.
“We are without proper care and support,” said another. “There is fighting around here and we are scared we might be attacked in the street.”
Detainees in the UK waiting to be removed to France said they know of at least seven people due to fly on Thursday, which is a significant escalation in numbers since removals started with just one person per flight placed on individual Air France commercial flights.
One asylum seeker said his sister is a British citizen living in the UK and he was hoping to be allowed to live with her under family reunion rules.
“The Home Office said no to me being allowed to stay with my sister and sent me to France. My sister tried to fight the Home Office. But she couldn’t stop me from being sent to France. She bought me some new shirts to take with me and gave me £40.”
“Right now we are in a very serious situation. We have nothing and we are very frightened,” said one of the asylum seekers. “Please and please, we need justice.”
The Guardian spoke to one man who the Home Office tried to remove from detention at 3am on 18 September. He said that when he was restrained by guards because he did not want to board the plane he felt that he could not breathe properly.
An emergency high court challenge was due to take place on Wednesday afternoon to try to halt the flight of one asylum seeker. The case did not go ahead after the man’s ticket for Thursday was cancelled.
Maddie Harris of Humans For Rights Network said: “We are seriously concerned for the welfare of those that have been removed to France which include a person who is a potential victim of trafficking and age disputed children.
“This scheme does not provide safety, it creates fear and suffering amongthose who have a legal right to claim asylum in the UK. One individual we have spoken to is being threatened with removal to the danger he fled in his country of origin causing him immense distress.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Thanks to the new UK-France Treaty, people arriving in the UK on small boats can be detained and returned, with the initial removals already carried out.
“In parallel, an equivalent number of migrants in France will be eligible to come to the UK through a safe and legal route.
“This approach will be ramped up over time and is designed to tackle perilous small boat crossings, and disrupt the criminal gangs who operate them.”
