Six asylum seekers deported to France under Labour's 'one in, one out' deal have spoken of their fear of being pursued by smugglers and forcibly returned to their home countries. Speaking from a homeless shelter in Paris, the group said they would hide if French authorities tried to move them to a European country where they had been fingerprinted before arriving in the UK.
One asylum seeker said: 'We are very frightened of what will happen to us. I escaped from the smugglers in Calais when I travelled to the UK and I am scared they will find me here and kill me.' Another added: 'We have not received any help with housing, clothes, education or anything since we arrived in France.'
The men spoke hours before a larger group of asylum seekers were due to be forcibly removed to France on a private charter flight to Paris early Thursday, with a second drop-off in Albania planned. It is thought at least seven people will be removed in a significant ramping up of removals.
One asylum seeker said his sister, a British citizen, had tried to fight his removal but failed. 'The Home Office said no to me being allowed to stay with my sister and sent me to France. She bought me some new shirts and gave me £40.'
Maddie Harris of Humans For Rights Network expressed serious concern for the welfare of those removed, including a potential victim of trafficking and age-disputed children. She said: 'This scheme does not provide safety, it creates fear and suffering among those who have a legal right to claim asylum in the UK.'
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Thanks to the new UK-France Treaty, people arriving in the UK on small boats will be removed to France.'
