UK and France Scrap “One In, One Out” Migrant Returns Deal as Pilot Ends

Britain and France have scrapped the pilot “one in, one out” agreement under which small-boat migrants crossing the English Channel could be returned to France in exchange for an equal number of asylum seekers arriving in Britain through legal routes, the Home Office said on Wednesday.

The Home Office confirmed the scheme is “no longer processing new cases”. About 1,500 people were returned to France under the arrangement, while slightly fewer were transferred to Britain, according to the Associated Press and other reports. Flights for migrants already detained under the pilot will continue in the coming weeks.

The scheme — due to expire on October 1 — was ended after France declined to extend it. French interior minister Laurent Nunez had said in June the pilot “was not intended to be renewed”. A UK government source said Britain would “willingly” have continued it, but it “did not reach our desired scale”.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood admitted in parliament this month that scaling up weekly removals had proved difficult, at a reported average cost of about £56,000 per returned migrant. She has now set up a Small Boats Returns Taskforce to accelerate removals under existing powers.

The closure comes as crossings fall to a five-year low: about 19,000 people have crossed so far this year, down roughly 40% on last year. The dangers of the route were underlined on Monday, when a 10-year-old child and two women died, apparently trampled, on a boat packed with more than 100 people.

Sources

• Associated Press (via LA Post)
• The Times
• Euronews