The United Kingdom on Thursday returned the first migrant to France under the new joint "one in, one out" deal, both governments confirmed, as London bids to curb contentious cross-Channel small boat arrivals.
The UK Home Office said it had removed the man, who had arrived in England aboard a small boat in August, on a commercial flight.
The French government also confirmed the removal, with a source telling French news agency AFP that London had returned an Indian national.
British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called the move "an important first step to securing our borders", adding that it sent a message that "if you enter the UK illegally, we will seek to remove you".
UK and France start migrant return scheme to curb illegal Channel crossings
"The UK will always play its part in helping those genuinely fleeing persecution, but this must be done through safe, legal and managed routes – not dangerous crossings," she said.
Under the scheme, the UK can detain and return small boat migrants arriving across the Channel if they are deemed ineligible for asylum, including those who have passed through a "safe country" to reach UK shores. In return, the UK will accept an equal number of migrants from France.
Pilot scheme
Under a deal struck between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in July, the pilot scheme came into force in August and is set to run until June next year.
The Home Office said further removals were expected later this week and next week, while the first legal arrivals from France were expected "in the coming days".
Tens of thousands of migrants have arrived on the shores of southeast England in recent years, fuelling domestic anger in the UK and the rise of Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK party – which has led in UK voting intention polls consistently since April this year.
Anti-immigration demonstrators have gathered outside hotels housing asylum seekers in recent months, sometimes resulting in violent clashes with police and anti-racism activists.
'Smash the gangs'
At least 23 people have died so far this year in incidents linked to crossing the Channel in overcrowded dinghies, according to an AFP tally based on official French data.
Starmer took power in July 2024 vowing to "smash the [trafficking] gangs" behind the journeys, and scrapped a costly scheme planned by the previous Conservative government to send some migrants to Rwanda.
Critics have said ditching that initiative, which the UK Supreme Court ruled illegal and various rights groups condemned, has removed a much-needed deterrent.
Thursday's first removal comes just days after the High Court in London temporarily blocked the planned deportation of an Eritrean migrant, to the ire of the UK Government.
Mahmood said she "will continue to challenge any last-minute, vexatious attempts to frustrate a removal in the courts".
Eritrean man halts deportation in first test of UK-France asylum pact
The man had claimed he was a victim of human trafficking, and the High Court gave him 14 days to provide proof of this.
The Home Office applied to the Court of Appeal on Thursday to reduce this deadline.
Meanwhile, the government said it will launch a "rapid review" of modern anti-slavery legislation "to prevent its misuse".
'Political posturing'
More than 90 migrants who recently arrived to the UK on small boats have been detained for deportation to France, according to charities, while France will make its first repatriations to the UK from Saturday, its interior ministry has said.
But French non-governmental organisations working in the sector have said the scheme is largely unworkable.
Migrants crossing Channel to Britain in 2024 soar by 25 percent
"The purpose of this agreement is that it does not work," said Stella Bosc, spokeswoman for the L'Auberge des Migrants organisation. "It's political posturing".
UK charities have also condemned the scheme. Griff Ferris, of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, called it a "cruel policy targeting people who come here to seek safety" and a "grim attempt... to appease the racist far right".
(with AFP)
