Migrant who returned to UK after he was removed has been deported again

A migrant who re-entered the UK by small boat after being removed to France under the Government’s ‘one in, one out’ deal has been deported again.

The Home Office confirmed the Iranian man’s departure on Wednesday, after he arrived in the UK for a second time on October 18.

He was removed under the pilot scheme with France aimed at deterring migrants from coming to the UK in small boats across the English Channel.

But his second crossing back to the country prompted criticism that the Government is in ‘total chaos’, while ministers insisted his detection on arrival showed the ‘system was working’.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stressed: ‘Anyone looking to return to the UK after being removed under the UK-France agreement is wasting their time and money.

‘This individual was detected by biometrics and detained instantly.

‘His case was expedited, and now he has been removed again. My message is clear: if you try to return to the UK you will be sent back.

‘I will do whatever it takes to scale up removals of illegal migrants and secure our borders.’

The man, who was first returned to France on September 19, had told the Guardian he was a victim of modern slavery at the hands of smugglers in the north of the country.

‘If I had felt that France was safe for me, I would never have returned to the UK,’ the man told the newspaper.

The logic behind the ‘one in, one out’ deal is simple – adult migrants who arrive here illegally will be sent back across the Channel, and for every person returned, the UK will take in an asylum seeker from Europe.

Those asylum seekers must not have attempted to come over illegally, and will be subject to security and eligibility checks.

It doesn’t take a degree in maths to realise this would result in the same number of people coming over to the UK, on the face of it.

But the Home Office believes fewer people will make the journey if they think they might not end up being able to stay, and this will end up bringing down the numbers.

That could depend on how many people are impacted, though, as not every arrival will be sent back immediately.

Reports suggest the initial phase of the scheme could return 50 people each week – meaning just one in 17 would be affected, at the current rate of crossings.

The question of whether would-be migrants might think those figures are worth the gamble remains.

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