Latest news with #migrantreturns
Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Five EU countries oppose one-in, one-out migrant scheme
Italy, Spain and three other European countries have attacked the UK's plans for a one-in, one-out migrant returns deal with France, warning it could leave them having to take back people returned from Britain to the Continent. Sir Keir Starmer and President Macron are working on an agreement that would allow Britain to send illegal migrants who cross the Channel in small boats back to France. In return Britain would accept migrants with a legitimate case for joining family in the UK. Five EU countries, including Greece, Malta and Cyprus, have sent a letter to the European Commission objecting to the proposals. They fear that existing EU rules would allow France to deport illegal migrants they receive from the UK back to the country where they first entered the bloc. 'We take note — with a degree of surprise — of the reported intention of France to sign a bilateral readmission arrangement,' the letter, seen by the Financial Times, said. 'Such an initiative raises serious concerns … procedurally and in terms of potential implications for other member states, particularly those of first entry.' A record number of small boats have arrived on UK shores this year BEN STANSALL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES The objections could potentially scupper the plan, which Downing Street hoped to announce at a summit with Macron early next month. It was due to start as a pilot to see if it reduced the 'pull factor' of the UK as a destination for illegal migration. Under the deal, a joint UK-France processing system would be set up to indentify migrants who have a valid claim for family reunification in Britain. For each migrant relocated to Britain, an illegal migrant would be returned to locations across France, away from its northern coast. Any migrant who made a return journey to the UK would be identified through their biometric details and sent back again. Government sources said that the pilot scheme would show 'proof of concept' and not repeat the 'mistakes' of the previous government's Rwanda scheme. They pointed to other progress that they hope will combine to start reducing the numbers of migrants arriving on small boats after a record high of 18,518 this year, which is 42 per cent higher than this time last year. French police are due to start implementing a law that will allow them to intercept migrant boats up to 300m into the sea within days in another move that UK ministers hope will reduce the numbers crossing.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
UK and France to agree migrant return deal to tackle Channel crossings
The UK and France are expected to announce a one in, one out migrant returns deal to crack down on English Channel crossings, it has been reported. Plans for a pilot could be revealed next week, which marks one year since Sir Keir Starmer's Government came to power, or later in the summer, according to the Times. The deal could see migrants who arrive in the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats returned to France, while the UK would accept those with legitimate claims to join family already in the country. It comes as the Government has vowed to crack down on people smuggling gangs across the Channel, while crossings are at a record high for this point in the year, totalling 18,518. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has been leading the talks, the paper added, who is credited with strengthening relationships with French counterparts. French officials have also agreed to changes that would allow police patrolling the coast to take action in the sea when migrants climb into boats from the water. Under the new returns deal, a joint processing system between the UK and France would be set up to identify migrants who have a valid claim for family reunification in the UK, the Times reported. For each person accepted to come to the UK, a migrant would be returned to France and relocated across the country away from its northern coastline where crossings take place. But reacting to the reports, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'We pay the French half a billion pounds to wave the boats off from Calais, and in return we get a migrant merry-go-round where the same number still come here. 'The French are failing to stop the boats at sea, failing to return them like the Belgians do, and now instead of demanding real enforcement, Labour are trying a 'one in, one out' gimmick.'
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK and France to agree migrant return deal to tackle Channel crossings
The UK and France are expected to announce a one in, one out migrant returns deal to crack down on English Channel crossings, it has been reported. Plans for a pilot could be revealed next week, which marks one year since Sir Keir Starmer's Government came to power, or later in the summer, according to the Times. The deal could see migrants who arrive in the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats returned to France, while the UK would accept those with legitimate claims to join family already in the country. It comes as the Government has vowed to crack down on people smuggling gangs across the Channel, while crossings are at a record high for this point in the year, totalling 18,518. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has been leading the talks, the paper added, who is credited with strengthening relationships with French counterparts. French officials have also agreed to changes that would allow police patrolling the coast to take action in the sea when migrants climb into boats from the water. Under the new returns deal, a joint processing system between the UK and France would be set up to identify migrants who have a valid claim for family reunification in the UK, the Times reported. For each person accepted to come to the UK, a migrant would be returned to France and relocated across the country away from its northern coastline where crossings take place. But reacting to the reports, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'We pay the French half a billion pounds to wave the boats off from Calais, and in return we get a migrant merry-go-round where the same number still come here. 'The French are failing to stop the boats at sea, failing to return them like the Belgians do, and now instead of demanding real enforcement, Labour are trying a 'one in, one out' gimmick.'
Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Times
UK and France discuss ‘one-in, one-out' migrant returns
Britain and France are preparing to announce a one-in, one-out migrant returns deal in an attempt to break the model of the smuggling gangs. Sir Keir Starmer and President Macron are working on an arrangement that would allow Britain to send back illegal migrants who cross the Channel in small boats to France. In return Britain would accept migrants with a legitimate case for joining family already in the UK. The plans for the pilot could be announced as soon as next week to coincide with the first anniversary of Starmer's premiership, although other government sources suggested that later in the summer was more likely. A government source said: 'It'll start as a pilot but it's to prove the point that if you pay for your passage on a boat then you could quite quickly find yourself back in France.' Despite only being a pilot, it would mark a significant moment in relations with the French over the small boats crisis as it is the first time that France has shown its willingness to take back migrants from the UK. Talks over a returns deal have been led by Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, who has been credited with strengthening relations with France through her close partnership with Bruno Retailleau, the French interior minister. Under the deal, a joint UK-France processing system would be set up that would identify migrants who have a valid claim for family reunification in Britain. For each migrant relocated to Britain, an illegal migrant would be returned to locations across France, away from its northern coast. Any migrant who makes a return journey to the UK would be immediately identified through their biometric details and sent back once again. The deal will begin through a small pilot scheme designed to show 'proof of concept'. Government sources said that they were determined not to repeat the 'mistakes' of the previous government's Rwanda scheme, that they believe overpromised in terms of solving the small boats crisis. They pointed to other progress that they hope will combine to start reducing the numbers of migrants arriving on small boats amid a record high of 18,518 this year, which is 42 per cent higher than this time last year. French police are due to start implementing a law that will allow them to intercept migrant boats up to 300 metres into the sea within days in another move that UK ministers hope will reduce the numbers crossing. However, the Conservatives branded the limited plans for a one-in, one-out deal 'pathetic' and said that the French could not be trusted given the £480 million, three-year deal that Britain paid to France to bolster security, which has only led to increasing numbers making the crossing. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'We pay the French half a billion pounds to wave the boats off from Calais, and in return we get a migrant merry-go-round where the same number still come here. 'The French are failing to stop the boats at sea, failing to return them like the Belgians do, and now instead of demanding real enforcement, Labour are trying a one in, one out gimmick. 'If Labour were serious, they would not have scrapped the returns deterrent the National Crime Agency said we needed — instead, they've surrendered our immigration system.' Macron is making a state visit to the UK between July 8-10 along with his wife, Brigitte. The couple will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle. The French president will also meet Starmer for talks about sealing the two country's security partnership and work on combating the people smuggling gangs that facilitate Channel crossings. Downing Street refused to comment on the specifics of the deal but said that 'our relationship with the French is stronger than it has been in a number of years'. The final details of a migrants return deal have yet to be agreed and government sources said they were wary of announcing a deal before it is ready to be implemented because of the risk it would lead to a rush in crossings. Smuggling gangs have in the past offered 'closing down sale' deals to migrants whereby they advertised discounted prices if they signed up before a particular new scheme is introduced. Retailleau first opened the door to a migrant exchange deal for the first time in April during a visit to the UK. He said: 'I do think that there must be an agreement that we can come to, a bilateral agreement between governments. 'Because we see many of those who land on British soil don't come back. Even when one has crossed the Channel, if one is sent back that will send a clear message.' The French interior ministry confirmed later in the month that it would work on the basis of a 'one-for-one principle'.
Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Times
Starmer urged to consider one-in, one-out migrant exchange scheme
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to use next month's UK-France summit to strike a one-in, one-out migrant returns deal. A report by the Migration Policy Institute, a global immigration think tank based in Washington DC, has set out detailed proposals for France and the UK to pursue before the summit. It proposes setting up a series of hubs across France which would screen asylum seekers for eligibility for the UK. Under the plans, France would take back one small boat migrant for each asylum seeker resettled to the UK from the hubs. It would be modelled on the United States' Safe Mobility Offices scheme, which was introduced by the Biden administration in 2023 across countries in South and Central America to screen migrants for asylum before they are exploited by people smugglers and trafficked across borders. It helped individuals find support and access a wide range of services in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala and was credited with a reduction in illegal migration from the countries. In April France opened the door to taking back Channel migrants for the first time after Bruno Retailleau, the French interior minister, said that it would 'send a clear message' to others planning to make the journey. • Chaos on a French beach as police try to stop migrants His comments have raised hopes among officials and ministers in the UK government that a breakthrough is possible after failed attempts by successive UK governments to persuade France to agree to take back migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats. More than 100 migrants are estimated to have crossed the Channel on Thursday, taking the total number of arrivals over the last nine days to more than 2,500. A total of 17,278 have arrived so far this year, up 50 per cent compared with last year. Downing Street admitted earlier this week that the situation in the Channel was 'deteriorating'. The Migration Policy Institute report proposes that the hubs in France would prioritise individuals with connections in Britain and those from countries with high asylum grant rates such as Sudan, which has a 98 per cent acceptance rate, and Eritrea, which has an 86 per cent grant rate. It recommends starting with a pilot programme that would exchange one migrant back to France for each asylum seeker going the other way following successful screening. The programme should operate with a monthly quota that is linked to the numbers returned to France from the UK. • How small boats crisis is linked to rise in rough sleeping The think tank said that the scheme would provide predictable admissions numbers that the UK government could communicate clearly to the public and would regain control of its borders. The report suggests using artificial intelligence to help support processing migrants' applications at the hubs. It argues that such a system would strengthen the deterrent effect of a returns agreement between the two countries because it would provide a viable and safe alternative to smuggler-facilitated crossings for a segment of the population most at risk of making such journeys. It would also reduce the danger of migrant journeys for the most vulnerable migrants who are most likely to be granted asylum, thereby saving lives. The detailed report also recommends creating a bilateral digital screening pilot that would mirror the EU's Eurodac scheme, which shares the fingerprints and other details of asylum seekers. • French police tear-gas child migrants trying to board dinghy This Eurodac-lite scheme would enable British border officials to check the biometrics of arrivals in the UK against the Eurodac system and thereby facilitate re-admissions from the UK to France. French liaison officers could be stationed at UK intake sites with secure tablets granting read‑only access to Eurodac data. The report said that combining re-admissions with a viable legal alternative held the best chance of curtailing the pull factors for these crossings. The UK-France summit, to be held on July 8-10, is also expected to rubber stamp new French police tactics allowing officers to intercept migrant boats up to 300 metres into the water. However, Care4Calais, the charity that led the successful legal challenge against the Rwanda policy, has said it is considering legal action against the plans. The Migration Policy Institute also proposes that France and the UK operate shared charter flights to reduce the possibility of secondary attempts to cross the Channel. Insufficient flight capacity is one of the major obstacles for France's attempts to deport migrants, according to the report.
