- An Indian national was the first deported under the new UK-France returns treaty
- The man arrived illegally by small boat and was flown from Heathrow to Paris
- UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the deportation signals tougher border control
An Indian national has become the first person to be deported from the UK under a new returns treaty with France, after he arrived illegally on a small boat across the English Channel, according to the UK Home Office.
The unnamed man who is said to have arrived in early August has been flown out to Paris on a commercial flight from Heathrow Airport under the so-called “one-in, one-out” deal struck recently as part of a UK-France returns treaty.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called it an "important first step" in the government's attempt to clamp down on soaring illegal migration perpetuated by people smugglers across the Channel.
“This is an important first step to securing our borders. It sends a message to people crossing in small boats: if you enter the UK illegally, we will seek to remove you,” said Mahmood.
“I will continue to challenge any last-minute, vexatious attempts to frustrate a removal in the courts. The UK will always play its part in helping those genuinely fleeing persecution, but this must be done through safe, legal, and managed routes – not dangerous crossings,” she said in a press release by UK Home Office.
The deported Indian national is expected to be offered a paid-for-voluntary return to his home country once back in France. He would not be able to apply for asylum and could go on to face enforced deportation if he did not take up the voluntary scheme.
France's Crackdown On Illegal Immigrants
The development came after official Home Office figures released in August claimed that Indian nationals in detention as part of the UK's wider crackdown on illegal immigration had almost doubled in the past year, up 108 per cent. According to the data, 2,715 Indians were logged as being in detention under the UK's immigration law breach.
The deported man is among the first batch of migrants detained by the UK Border Force under the new treaty, which came into force in August as a pilot scheme to run until June 2026.
While further returns or deportations are planned on flights in the coming days, the first arrivals from France through the new asylum route under the reciprocal scheme are expected in the UK in the coming days, the Home Office said.
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