UK deports Indian national to France in first move under new migrant treaty

The United Kingdom has deported an Indian national to France, marking the first removal under the new UK-France migrant returns treaty aimed at curbing illegal Channel crossings.

Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called the deportation an important first step in the campaign against illegal migration. She said that a blow had been dealt to the smuggler gangs, as the removal of small boat migrants to France had begun. She added that she would do whatever it took to secure the borders and stressed that this was a vital first step. According to her, it also sent a message to people crossing in small boats that if they entered the UK illegally, the government would seek to remove them.

The French government also confirmed the deportation. Britain’s interior ministry said more removals would follow this week and next, while legal arrivals from France were expected "in the coming days."

The move comes just over a month after London and Paris signed the year-long "one in, one out" pilot scheme, which runs until June 2026. Under the arrangement, the UK can return small-boat migrants deemed ineligible for asylum, including those who passed through a "safe country" before arriving. In return, Britain will accept the same number of migrants from France who can apply for UK visas online.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the first deportation as "proof of concept" for the partnership. "We need to ramp that up at scale, which was always envisaged under the scheme," he said.

Starmer, who took office in July 2024, vowed to "smash the gangs" behind the Channel crossings. He also scrapped the previous Conservative government’s costly plan to send some migrants to Rwanda.

Illegal immigration remains a pressing issue in the UK, with tens of thousands arriving on its shores annually. Crossings across the busy Channel have repeatedly proved fatal, with at least 23 deaths reported this year, according to French data.

Thursday’s deportation came just days after the High Court in London blocked the planned removal of an Eritrean migrant who claimed he was a trafficking victim. The court gave him 14 days to present proof, though the Home Office said it would appeal to cut that deadline. Mahmood said she "will continue to challenge any last-minute, vexatious attempts to frustrate a removal in the courts."

The government also announced a "rapid review" of anti-slavery legislation to prevent its misuse. Meanwhile, France has said it will send the first migrants under the scheme to the UK starting Saturday. However, French non-governmental organisations have criticised their side of the agreement as largely unworkable.