London: An Indian national who reportedly arrived in the UK illegally on a small boat across the English Channel became the first to be deported to France under a new treaty Thursday.
The unnamed man who is said to have arrived in early August has been flown out to Paris on a commercial flight from Heathrow Airport under the so-called “one-in, one-out” deal struck recently as part of a UK-France returns treaty.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood dubbed it an “important first step” in the government’s attempt to clamp down on soaring illegal migration perpetuated by people smugglers across the Channel.
“This is an important first step to securing our borders. It sends a message to people crossing in small boats: if you enter the UK illegally, we will seek to remove you,” said Mahmood.
“I will continue to challenge any last-minute, vexatious attempts to frustrate a removal in the courts. 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.
Home Office sources confirmed that the deported man was an Indian national, who is expected to be offered a paid-for voluntary return to his home country once back in France. He would not be able to apply for asylum and could go on to face enforced deportation if he did not take up the voluntary scheme.
The development came after official Home Office figures released in August claimed that Indian nationals in detention as part of the UK’s wider crackdown on illegal immigration had almost doubled in the past year, up 108 per cent. According to the data, 2,715 Indians were logged as being in detention under the UK’s immigration law breach.
The man to be deported Thursday is among the first batch of migrants detained by the UK Border Force under the new treaty, which came into force in August as a pilot scheme to run until June 2026.
While further returns or deportations are planned on flights in the coming days, the first arrivals from France through the new asylum route under the reciprocal scheme are expected in the UK in the coming days, the Home Office said.
It said the new scheme enables the UK authorities to detain and remove people who enter illegally via small boats, blocking their access to the country’s asylum system in an effort to reduce the burden on hotel accommodation.
In return, the UK will accept an equal number of migrants through a newly established safe and legal route, subject to what the Home Office termed as “rigorous documentation, eligibility, and security checks”.
“The Home Secretary has made clear that the Home Office will robustly defend legal challenges to removal. Today we will lodge an appeal to the Court of Appeal to limit the time the person has to provide evidence for reconsideration,” the Home Office said.
It claims over 35,000 individuals with no legal right to remain in the UK have been returned in the past year, with returns of foreign criminals and asylum-related returns rising by 14 per cent and 28 per cent respectively.
PTI
