An Eritrean man was deported from the UK to France on Thursday, September 18, after a court rejected his claim to have been trafficked previously. The appeal, likely lodged to evade the “one in, one out” deportations deal with France, proved unsuccessful.
The deportee said he fled forced conscription and had lived rough in France before crossing to England. The UK recently tightened rules on ‘modern slavery’ claims, meaning appeals can only be made after removal.
This marks the second person removed since the scheme began, after previously an Indian was sent back to France. In contrast, a fellow Eritrean’s lawyers temporarily blocked his return to France this week.
The policy permits swapping migrants, allowing the UK to return one person to France in exchange for accepting another held in France with a demonstrable link to Great Britain.
During his UK visit, U.S. president Donald Trump suggested using the military to stop small boat crossings, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized existing cooperation deals. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the first return shows illegal arrivals will be removed.
Despite the tough talk, both politicians are part of a government which funds some of the anti-deportation campaigns aiming to undermine the policy.
About 100 men are currently in detention under the scheme with more flights planned—despite ongoing legal challenges. Since August, 5,590 migrants have arrived in the UK.
