The British government plans to start deporting irregular immigrants who arrived in the country on boats through the English Channel to France this week. A dozen immigrants were scheduled to board an Air France regular flight on Monday, under discreet police surveillance, as part of the pilot plan known as "one in, one out," agreed upon in July by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron.
Around forty immigrants, mostly men, will be "repatriated" to France on a total of four flights during this week, as part of the controversial plan. The measure has been criticized by the Conservative Party, which failed in its attempt to deport immigrants to Rwanda, as "clearly insufficient" given the influx of asylum seekers continuing to arrive on British shores (over 30,000 so far this year and 50,000 since the Labour Party came to power last July).
The pilot plan's implementation comes two days after a demonstration in London that brought together over 100,000 participants, called by the far-right and founder of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson, who rallied the masses: "We must defend our country against the invasion of foreign criminals!"
The pilot plan "one in, one out," which simultaneously opens a legal pathway for asylum seekers with relatives in the UK from France, has finally received approval from the European Union. The British government hopes that its implementation will serve as a deterrent to contain the influx of immigrants in the Channel, which may surpass this year's record of 45,755 crossings recorded in 2022.
The plan has been criticized by the opposition for its limited scope (an estimated 2,000 immigrants could be deported by June 2026, around 5% of the total) and for the legal issues it poses, as well as logistical challenges, such as possible disruptions caused by deportees on regular flights.
The British government is confident that its implementation will deter crossings and prevent deaths while attempting to reach British shores. Three immigrants (an Egyptian citizen and two others of South Asian origin) died last week, bringing the total to twenty fatalities this year, compared to 50 in the tragic 2024.
The implementation of drastic measures, such as interventions by the French police puncturing boats loaded with immigrants on the shore, has not had the desired impact. Last Tuesday actually saw a record number of arrivals in a single day, with 674 immigrants arriving at the port of Dover.
Since August 6, and in accordance with the agreement sealed between Starmer and Macron during the French president's State visit, British authorities have the power to automatically detain newly arrived individuals (mostly from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, and Syria) and initiate their repatriation process to France.
A bilateral agreement with the Tirana government also helped contain the flow of irregular immigrants of Albanian origin. Upon arriving at Downing Street last July, Keir Starmer announced an offensive against human trafficking gangs, resulting in a dozen arrests and the freezing of assets of 25 individuals allegedly involved. The creation of a new Border Control Command and the allocation of 500 million euros to strengthen surveillance on French coasts have also not had the desired effect.
The plan's implementation coincided with Shabana Mahmood's appointment as Home Secretary, of Pakistani origin, following her accomplishments in recent months as Justice Secretary amid the explosive situation in British prisons. Mahmood bluntly announced that the "one in, one out" plan will come into effect "immediately."
"The plan will have no deterrent effect and will only serve to expel a minority, barely 2,000 immigrants, equivalent to those who arrived in the last ten days," stated Conservative Party's Interior spokesperson Chris Philip. "95% of the people making the crossing will be able to stay in the UK, when what we should be doing is deporting them upon arrival."