The 'one in, one out' agreement on cross-Channel migration between the UK and France is reportedly due to end in October. The deal, under which the UK can return asylum seekers who arrive by small boat in exchange for accepting others from France legally, will not be extended, according to French media reports citing a French interior ministry source.
Under the terms, asylum seekers arriving in the UK on small boats are forcibly returned to France, while a similar number of refugees in France are brought to the UK legally. The scheme has been criticised by NGOs and asylum seekers as unjust and inhumane, with some returnees claiming their lives have been threatened by people smugglers in northern France.
Migrant advocacy groups, including Doctors Without Borders, have condemned the deal as 'a cynical bargaining over human lives'. The organisation has reported cases of acute stress disorder and disorientation among those sent back. An action plan announced by the European Commission on 18 June is intended to replace the bilateral approach.
The Home Office has welcomed the EU plan, saying it sets out a more coordinated response. Between last September and 9 June, 921 asylum seekers were returned to France and 896 were brought to the UK legally. In the week to 22 June, 1,939 people arrived on small boats. A Home Office spokesperson confirmed the agreement has been extended until autumn to continue removals over the summer.
Critics doubt the scheme has acted as a deterrent. Reports indicate people smugglers are taking longer routes, making journeys up to 80 miles. Asylum seekers returned to France have received little support, with some threatened with return to Syria. Others have re-entered the UK via lorries or small boats, leading to an amendment allowing France to take back some returnees.
