Britain has returned the first migrant to France under its new "one-in, one-out" deal. Both governments confirmed the deportation of an Indian national on a commercial flight. But the sustainability of the deal remains in question.
The UK Home Office said in a statement that it removed an Indian national, who had arrived in the country aboard a small boat last month. The transfer to France took place on a commercial flight, it added.
Under the new scheme between the two countries, the UK can return irregular migrants arriving from across the English Channel if they are deemed ineligible for asylum.
In exchange, France can send the same number of asylum seekers to the UK who have genuine ties to the country, such as family.
The model is designed to make boat crossings unattractive to migrants, and thus break the smugglers' business model.
More removals to follow
The Home Office added that further such removals were expected to take place later this week and also next week, while the first legal arrivals from France in exchange were expected "in the coming days."
More than 90 migrants who recently arrived in the UK on small boats have reportedly been earmarked for deportation to France under the scheme.
The British press reported that France had specifically requested an Indian national, so that they could offer them the possibility of voluntary return. Under that scheme, wrote The Guardian, quoting The Telegraph, the French may offer the man up to 2,500 euros and pay for his flight to return voluntarily to India. If he were to refuse, he would face forced removal from France.
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Questions over legality of deportations
New British Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood hailed the removal as "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."
"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.
However, her celebratory mood was also somewhat dampened by a setback from earlier in the week: This first removal to France came just two days after the High Court in London temporarily blocked the planned deportation of an Eritrean migrant under the scheme.
In his particular scenario, it ruled that there might be elements of human trafficking involved, which needed to be examined in greater detail to decide if the man qualified for protection on those grounds, or not.
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A magic bullet or merely government PR?
The pilot scheme between the UK and France came into force in August and is set to run until June 2026, at which point it might be expanded, if it’s deemed to be successful.
However, some French charities have already criticized that the scheme would not work at scale, as the numbers of asylum seekers in France seeking to reach the UK legally are quite limited.
On the other hand, immigration think tank British Future published a report arguing that based on the known numbers, expanding the "one in, one out" deal could cut Channel crossings by 75 percent over the next three years.
Tens of thousands of migrants continue to arrive each year on the shores of southeast England via the Channel.
More than 30,000 people have made the crossing so far this year, setting Britain on track for breaking its previous record from last year, when over 37,000 people succeeded with the journey.
Meanwhile, dozens have also died in recent years in trying to cross what is the world's busiest shipping lanes in overcrowded and unseaworthy dinghies and small boats.
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with AFP, AP