One-In, One-Out, One-Back: Immigrant Returned to UK After Being Deported to France
22nd October 2025
An immigrant has returned to the United Kingdom by small boat after being sent to France under the government’s ‘one-in, one-out’ pilot scheme, highlighting the collapse of the UK’s border policy.
The man, who said he sought asylum in Britain because France was unsafe for him, alleged that he had been a victim of modern slavery in northern France. “If I had felt that France was safe for me I would never have returned to the UK,” he said. After being sent back, “we were taken to a shelter in Paris,” but he “didn’t dare to go out because I was afraid for my life.” He described smugglers as “very dangerous,” saying they “always carry weapons and knives.”
Home Office sources confirmed that one person deported under the UK-France treaty has returned to Britain. His case comes amid a record surge in small boat arrivals, undermining claims that the pilot scheme is working as a deterrent.
Reports confirmed that more migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far in 2025 than in the whole of 2024, hitting last year’s number more than two months early into the year. The ‘one-in, one-out’ agreement with France has seen just 42 illegal migrants removed, while the UK has accepted 16 asylum seekers in return.