At least four asylum seekers who were forcibly returned to France under the UK's controversial 'one in, one out' deal have made their way back to Britain in lorries, the Guardian has learned. The agreement, which involves sending one person who crossed the Channel in a small boat back to France in exchange for another being brought to the UK legally, is facing fresh scrutiny after the returnees were discovered.
Two of the returnees, who arrived in separate lorries on 5 and 7 March, are now back in a detention centre. Both claimed they were forced back to the UK by smugglers attempting to undermine the scheme. The other two, who arrived on 12 March as part of a larger group, are believed to be in London living under the radar.
One detainee told the Guardian he was caught by police inside a lorry when it reached Dover. He said smugglers, armed with guns, had coerced him near a shelter in Paris where returnees often sleep. Another said he was also forced into a lorry and later went to a police station to declare himself, fearing life without documentation.
Amnesty International UK has called for the 'one in, one out' agreement to be scrapped. Steve Valdez-Symonds, the charity's programme director for refugee and migrant rights, argued that the deal has entrenched the power of smuggling gangs rather than deterring asylum seekers. He urged the government to establish safe routes for refugees instead.
A Home Office spokesperson defended the scheme, stating that France is the UK's closest migration partner and that 40,000 small boat crossing attempts have been stopped since the government took office. They added that individuals who try to return are detected by biometrics and detained instantly.
