A second migrant has been deported from the UK to France under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s new one in, one out returns agreement, following a failed legal attempt to halt the process.
The Eritrean man, who crossed the English Channel in a small boat in August, was removed from the country early Friday morning after a High Court judge dismissed his claim that he may have been a victim of human trafficking.
The deportation took place on a 6:15am Air France flight from Heathrow to Paris. The individual was accompanied by three Home Office security escorts and was seen seated at the rear of the aircraft wearing a white hoodie. This marks the second such removal under the bilateral arrangement, following the return of an Indian national on Thursday.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the deportations as a warning to others planning illegal crossings. “If you enter the UK illegally, we will seek to remove you,” she said.
The Eritrean man’s legal team had attempted to delay his deportation by arguing he had been trafficked and was therefore a potential victim of modern slavery.
However, Mr Justice Sheldon, presiding over an emergency three-hour High Court hearing, rejected the claim, ruling that there was no legal basis to postpone the removal. He also cited inconsistencies in the migrant’s story and stated that the Home Office was entitled to conclude that his account of trafficking could not reasonably be believed.
The judge added there was a significant public interest in enforcing removals as part of the government’s broader policy to deter dangerous Channel crossings and combat people smuggling. He also noted the man could still pursue his trafficking claim in France, where he would receive legal and administrative support.
The deportation follows a policy shift by the Home Office that makes it more difficult for Channel migrants to avoid removal by citing modern slavery. Under the new rules, such claims can now be challenged only after a migrant has been returned to France. This change came just days after another Eritrean migrant temporarily halted his deportation using modern slavery grounds, a ruling the government is currently appealing.
According to the Eritrean man deported on Friday, he fled his home country in 2019 to avoid forced military conscription. He reported spending time in Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Libya before arriving in Europe, where he lived rough in France before making his way to Dunkirk and crossing the Channel to the UK.
The case has attracted political attention at the highest levels. During a joint press conference at the end of his UK state visit, former US President Donald Trump urged Sir Keir Starmer to consider deploying the military to tackle illegal crossings. “You have people coming in, and I told the Prime Minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military,” Trump said. “It destroys countries from within.”
Friday’s deportation came ahead of a scheduled reciprocal flight from France to the UK, bringing in asylum seekers who have legally applied for protection via an online portal. Under the returns agreement, those sent back to France are expected to be housed in one of the country’s 3,000 state-run accommodation centres, which currently shelter more than 100,000 asylum seekers. These facilities provide food, basic healthcare, legal assistance, and education for children, with stays ranging from a few days to a year.
Migrants who are denied asylum in France will be encouraged to apply for voluntary return to their countries of origin. However, French authorities have faced criticism for poor enforcement of deportation orders, only 15% of those instructed to leave the country last year actually did so.
As the UK government ramps up efforts to crack down on illegal migration, the case highlights the growing legal and political complexity surrounding asylum and deportation policies in both Britain and Europe.
