Indian national first to be deported from UK under new scheme

PTI

London

An Indian national who reportedly arrived in the UK illegally on a small boat across the English Channel became the first to be deported to France under a new treaty on Thursday.

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.

The man to be deported on Thursday 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.

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood dubbed 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.

Home Office sources confirmed that the deported man was an Indian national, who 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.

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.