London: The UK has carried out its first deportation under a new migrant returns treaty with France, with Home Secretary Shabana Mehmood hailing it as an “important first step” in curbing illegal Channel crossings.
“It sends a message to people crossing in small boats: if you enter the UK illegally, we will seek to remove you,” Mehmood said Thursday, adding that the government would continue to resist “last-minute, vexatious” legal challenges while maintaining “safe, legal and managed routes — not dangerous crossings.”
According to Home Office sources, the deportee is an Indian national who entered Britain illegally on a small boat in August. He was flown to Paris on a commercial flight under the new “one-in, one-out” agreement. On return, he will be offered voluntary repatriation to India; refusal would bar him from asylum and could trigger enforced removal.
How the treaty works
The pilot agreement, launched in August and running until June 2026, allows Britain to return migrants who arrive illegally while accepting an equal number of asylum seekers from France via a new legal pathway, subject to strict eligibility and security checks. The first arrivals under this reciprocal scheme are expected in the UK within days.
Rising Indian cases
Official data show 2,715 Indian nationals were in UK immigration detention as of August — more than double last year’s figure, marking a 108% increase. The deported man is among the first migrants held by UK Border Force since the treaty came into effect.
The Home Office said more than 35,000 people with no right to remain were removed from the UK in the past year, with foreign criminal deportations up 14% and asylum-related removals up 28%.
