The pilot program, which allowed for an exchange of migrant arrivals between the two countries, is set to expire today (October 1) and will not be continued. The program was part of a three-year multi-million euro agreement with France to strengthen border controls in northern France.
The "one in, one out" agreement between France and the UK to send back some migrants who cross the Channel has been scrapped. The pilot program allowed an exchange between the two countries. The UK would return some migrants arriving by small boat to France, and in return, they would take in the same number of people — with a legitimate claim to enter Britain -- from France. The decision to end the agreement comes as it was set to expire today (October 1).
Citing a spokesperson from the UK Home Office, British broadcaster BBC confirmed the non-renewal of the deal.
"The government's pilot with France to remove asylum seekers in exchange for an equal number of legal migrants is no longer processing new cases," the spokesperson said.
"However, flights will continue over the coming weeks to swiftly remove small boat migrants from the UK, and we will use lessons learned from the pilot to accelerate efforts to return small boat migrants with no right to remain in the UK."
The announcement also comes in the same week, the Home Secretary announced at the Labour Party Conference that the government would be looking to offer some new safe and legal routes into the UK.
"The Home Secretary has announced the reopening of the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) for new referrals, providing genuine refugees a safe and legal route to the UK. Around one in four referrals will be for Afghan women and girls and Palestinian refugees, fleeing war and persecution," stated the government in a press release on September 28.
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Lessons learned
The deal was part of a three-year agreement wherein the UK would provide 662 million British pounds (around 767 million euros) to France between 2026-2029. An estimated 501 million British pounds (around 587 million euros) was allocated to strengthen existing controls in northern France.
British newspaper The Guardian reported that UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, estimated that the deal cost about 56,000 British pounds (around 65,600 euros) for every person sent back to France.
Mahmood said that the government's scheme had struggled to scale up to larger numbers of returns and it had been "operationally difficult" to increase removals because of constraints such as detention space.
"It’s not been without its challenges. Obviously, the numbers are still relatively small," she admitted.
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Controversy over interventions at sea
The news of the non-renewal comes as it appears French police have been stepping up efforts to disperse migrants on beaches waiting to cross. On September 28, photos were taking showing the use of tear gas on a beach at Gravelines to prevent a departure.
The Home Office said on September 29, that joint operations had prevented more than 48,000 crossing attempts and allowed them to seize 1,100 boats and engines.
Between January and September 27, 19,135 people crossed the Channel by small boat from France. This was down by around 42 percent on the same period the previous year.
Government statistics recorded 631 arrivals in nine boats between September 24–30.
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Dangerous crossing
The coastline of France has long been a springboard for migrants hoping to reach Britain by crossing the English Channel. People hoping to make the journey reportedly pay smugglers thousands of euros to board dangerous, heavily overcrowded inflatable dinghies. Reports of mega dinghies with hundreds of people crammed together are emerging.
The English Channel is one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world. Over 500 commercial vessels and tankers cross the channel which features a combination of powerful tidal currents, and unpredictable, freezing weather.
On Tuesday, a child and two women were reported to have died off the coast of northern France after an overcrowded boat ran into difficulties while attempting to cross the English Channel. French authorities said the victims appear to have been trampled to death.
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