Asylum seekers sent back to France under the UK's controversial "one in, one out" scheme have spoken of their fear and hopelessness, saying there is "no safe place to go". Among them is Afran, an Iranian man who has been removed from Britain twice and returned to Paris, where he says he lives in constant terror of the smugglers who threatened his life before his first Channel crossing.
Afran, not his real name, became the first asylum seeker to return to the UK in a small boat after being removed to France on 19 September. He was sent back to Paris for a second time on 5 November. Speaking near a Paris shelter, he described being shuttled between the two countries, saying: "France, UK, France, UK, France – it's not my choice." He insisted he went to the UK twice because he had no other option, adding: "The smugglers in northern France attacked me and threatened my life before I crossed to the UK for the first time on August 6. When the Home Office returned me here the first time I believed the smugglers were still searching for me. I continue to believe that. I am frightened every time I go outside the shelter. I am not safe here."
The scheme, which was designed to deter Channel crossings, has so far seen 113 asylum seekers returned to France, while 84 have been allowed to come to the UK. However, on Friday alone, 217 people made the crossing in small boats – more than double the total number removed so far. Human rights campaigners have condemned the policy as unduly harsh and arbitrary in deciding who may stay and who must go.
The four returnees who spoke to reporters were sitting at a cafe near a traffic-clogged roundabout, close to a marquee-type shelter where single beds are crammed together. The shelter is one of a series of staging posts: first a hotel for a few days, then this facility, then temporary accommodation in different parts of the country. Some will eventually be sent to other EU countries under the Dublin rules, which allow the return of asylum seekers to the first member state where they were fingerprinted. They said the chances of building a safe new life in France appear slim, and their future remains as uncertain as the day they fled their homelands.
One of the group, an Eritrean man who was the second person forcibly returned to France, is now in a UK detention centre awaiting his fate. He said he came back to the UK because he felt unsafe in France. After receiving medical help from a charity in Paris, he returned to his shelter late and was refused entry because the gates were locked. Forced to sleep outside, he was attacked by two men on the street. "I was in shock after the attack," he said. "I called my family and told them about the bad things that had happened to me. They arranged for me to return to the UK in a small boat because they understood that France was not safe for me." He added: "I have suffered a lot and am terrified of being forced back to France. If the security at the Paris shelter had allowed me back inside when I returned from the medical appointment I would not have been attacked on that night – it was 23 October – and I would still be in France now."
Afran, meanwhile, acknowledged the cycle may continue, saying: "I know the security now in the detention centre I've been locked up in twice. I told them I'll be back for Christmas." He laughed hollowly and then began to cry, as the group, dressed in donated tracksuits and lacking warm coats, wept at the hopelessness of their situation.
