UK deporting 16 more migrants to France

The Home Office recently announced that an unprecedented number — 16 illegal migrants — were removed from the UK on a single flight to France. This brings the total deportations under the “one-for-one” agreement with France to 42 so far.

In a Home Office press statement, the Secretary of State committed to increasing the number of deportations to France.

Shabaneh Mahmoud, UK Home Secretary, explained:

“This is the largest deportation flight under our historic agreement with France, and it serves as a warning to those attempting to enter our country illegally. If you come here by small boat, you may be deported. This is just the beginning, and I will do whatever is necessary to secure our borders.”

The “one-for-one” plan, signed at the end of July and originally intended to be implemented in August, was finally put into operation in September.

The UK government stated that within a few weeks of implementing this agreement, 42 illegal migrants were successfully deported.

According to UK government data, from the beginning of this year until October 19, approximately 37,000 migrants successfully crossed the English Channel from the French coast to the UK.

French authorities reported in mid-September that they had prevented more than 17,600 crossing attempts in the same waters. Many migrants attempt the crossing multiple times until successful, so these figures do not reflect the total number of people still waiting to cross.

Under the terms of the agreement, France is allowed to send migrants who have legitimate claims for asylum and who may already have family in the UK.