UK begins deporting migrants to France

Britain deported its first migrant to France under its new “one-for-one” agreement. Both governments confirmed the deportation of an Indian national on a commercial flight.

The UK Home Office said in a statement that an Indian national who had entered the country last month in a small boat was deported. It added that the deportation to France was carried out on a commercial flight.

Under the new bilateral scheme, the UK can deport irregular migrants who cross the English Channel if they are not deemed eligible for asylum.

In return, France can transfer to the UK the same number of asylum seekers who are said to have “genuine ties” to the country, such as family members in Britain.

Officials from both countries claim that this model is designed to make boat crossings less attractive for migrants, thereby undermining smugglers’ business models.

The Home Office added that more deportations of this kind are expected in the coming days, while the first legal transfer from France to the UK under the arrangement is also expected soon.

Reports indicate that more than 90 migrants who recently arrived in the UK on small boats are slated for deportation to France under the deal.

Shabana Mahmood, the UK’s new Home Secretary, welcomed the deportation as an “important first step” toward securing the borders, adding that the move sends a clear message: “If someone enters the UK illegally, we will seek to remove them.”

She claimed: “The UK will always play its part in helping those truly fleeing persecution, but this must happen through safe, legal, and managed routes — not through dangerous crossings.”

However, the first deportation to France came just two days after the High Court in London temporarily blocked the planned removal of an Eritrean migrant under the scheme.