An asylum seeker who was returned from the UK to France under the 'one in, one out' scheme has secretly re-entered Britain and is now in hiding, the Guardian has learned. In what is believed to be the first interview with a returnee living under the radar in the UK, the man described his situation as 'desperate'. He said he knew of at least 18 other asylum seekers who had returned in the same way and were also living covertly in the UK.
The man, who returned to the UK in a lorry, said that after being sent back to France by the Home Office, he was captured by smugglers who tried to force him to work with them. He refused and was severely beaten, leaving his face bruised and injured. He managed to escape and felt his only option was to return to the UK, which he considers safer.
He explained that the 'one in, one out' scheme has driven up the cost of clandestine travel: small boat Channel crossings now cost €1,000 to €2,000, while lorry journeys to the UK cost €4,000 to €5,000. He believes many asylum seekers have returned using lorries, and he personally knows of 18 others who have done so.
The scheme, agreed between the UK and France, aims to deter small boat crossings and disrupt people-smuggling gangs. However, thousands have continued to cross the Channel, and smugglers have adapted by launching more vessels from Belgium and offering more expensive lorry journeys. As of 28 April, 605 people had been returned to France and 581 had come to the UK under the scheme.
The returnee said he is not working illegally and rarely leaves the room where a friend has given him temporary shelter. He fears the smugglers, the police, and the Home Office. 'I don't have a life any more and I don't have a plan,' he said. He is considering handing himself in but fears being sent back to France, where he believes the smugglers would kill him. He said he wants to live in peace, work legally, and be safe, but the immigration rules may force people like him to break the law to survive.
In a separate case, an asylum seeker who smuggled himself out of the UK in January after living here for over a decade, fearing detention and deportation, recently received an email from the Home Office showing no awareness that he had left. The man, now in Italy, was warned of enforcement action and offered help with voluntary return to his home country from the UK. Seema Syeda from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said the government's border regime is pushing people into unsafe routes and criminalising them, arguing that public money would be better spent on improving public services.
