It’s published
British border authorities said Thursday that they would detain the first group of migrants crossing the English Channel and send them back to France under a new one. Pilot Scheme.
The immigrants will be detained on Wednesday the day the plan comes into effect and will be held at the Immigration Elimination Centre until they are returned to France.
“It will now send a message to all migrants who are thinking of paying organized crime gangs and going to the UK, and when they arrive at the small boat they will risk their lives and throw away their money,” UK Interior Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement.
Under this scheme, France will accept returning immigrants in exchange for the same number of asylum seekers in which the UK has family ties with the UK.
British Prime Minister Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have announced the deal last month. Although the scope was limited, British officials said they would welcome it as a breakthrough and set precedents that would allow illegally arriving migrants to send back across the channel.
However, critics say the program does little to stop immigration, as numbers returned to France are small and treaty loopholes allow them to remain illegally in the country when pursuing human rights claims.
Dangerous intersection It’s now A powerful political issue In the UK. Over 21,000 people have arrived in the country so far this year, up 56% from the same period in 2024.
Macron said the agreement was intended to have deterrent effects.
“Because this is clearly our motivation and common interest.
Potential challenges to this program include the extent to which the UK invests in police forces for small boats, the potential legal challenges in France, and the extent to which they are willing to invest in opposition from other European countries.
The debate about stopping irregular movements across channels dates back decades. In the early 2000s, there was an effort focused on preventing captains from entering the UK via the vehicle’s channel tunnel. Recently, smugglers have become more and more sea routes.
Controversial plans from previous conservative governments Expels asylum seekers to Rwanda It was discarded in order of priority immediately after taking office in July 2024.
Additional sources •AP
