First migrants detained under returns deal with France | Politics News
Migrants who crossed the English Channel have been detained for deportation to France under the new “one in one out” returns deal.
The first detentions came after pictures showed people on small boats headed for the UK yesterday, the day the pilot scheme came into force.
The Home Office said detentions began at Wednesday lunchtime, and those people will be held in immigration removal centres pending their return in the coming weeks.
Politics live: Tories call for asylum seekers caught working illegally to be immediately deported
However they have not revealed how many people were detained.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she “won’t provide operational details that criminal gangs can simply use and exploit”, adding: “No one should be in any doubt.
“Anyone who arrives from now on is eligible for immediate detention and return, and this pilot will now build because we are determined that no one should be making this journey.”
The scheme, which was agreed last month and came into force yesterday, allows adults arriving on a small boat to be sent back to France.
In exchange, the UK will allow an approved asylum seeker in France to be brought here via a safe route.
The application process for those in France hoping to apply to come to the UK has now also been launched by the Home Office this morning.
Alongside the Home Office announcement, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote on the X social media platform: “We have detained the first illegal migrants under our new deal before returning them to France.
“No gimmicks, just results. If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back.
“When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it.”
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