LONDON: A Channel migrant who re-entered Britain by small boat after being removed to France under a new migration deal was deported again on Wednesday, the UK government said.
The asylum seeker, reportedly from Iran, was sent to France on September 19 — the third removal under the so-called one-in-one-out agreement struck by London and Paris — but then returned on October 18.
The Guardian reported the man had intended to seek asylum in Britain on the basis he was a victim of a human trafficking network operated by smugglers in northern France.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said in a statement Wednesday he had been detected by biometrics and detained instantly.
“His case was expedited, and now he has been removed again,” she added.
“Anyone looking to return to the UK after being removed under the UK-France agreement is wasting their time and money... if you try to return to the UK you will be sent back.”
The case was an embarrassing setback for the scheme aimed at deterring the tens of thousands of migrants arriving on small boats each year on the shores of southeast England.
Agreed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, it came into force in September and enables Britain to deport some of the arrivals deemed not to have a right to stay.
In return, London will accept an equal number of migrants from France who are likely to have their asylum claim granted, giving priority to nationalities most vulnerable to smugglers and those with ties in Britain.
So far, 94 migrants have been removed from the UK under the treaty, while 57 have arrived through the official channel, according to the interior ministry.
The scheme has been heavily criticized by migrants’ rights groups as unfair, while Starmer’s domestic political opponents have branded it a gimmick and ineffectual.
Nearly 37,000 migrants have arrived in Britain after crossing the Channel on small boats so far this year, surpassing the total for 2024.
That means 2025 is on course to be the second highest year for the crossings, lower than the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
UK deports migrant back to France again after he returned on small boat
https://arab.news/49xjj
UK deports migrant back to France again after he returned on small boat
- UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood: ‘His case was expedited, and now he has been removed again’
- So-called one-in-one-out scheme has been heavily criticized by migrants’ rights groups as unfair
Britain restricts some visas from four nations in major overhaul
- Britain had previously said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up deportations of those who arrive illegally, in an overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of the populist Reform UK party and tackling abuse of the current system
LONDON: Britain said on Tuesday the government would end study visas from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, and work visas for Afghans, in a major crackdown as anti-immigration sentiment rises in the country.
“An ‘emergency brake’ on visas has been imposed for the first time on nationals from four countries following a surge in asylum claims from legal routes,” the Home Office said in a statement.
Britain had previously said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up deportations of those who arrive illegally, in an overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of the populist Reform UK party and tackling abuse of the current system.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said that “Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused.”
“That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity,” she added.
The Home Office said Mahmood will introduce new legislation this week to restore order and control to the country’s borders.
