Home Office sends asylum seekers to France after removal scheme ended

The Home Office is continuing to deport asylum seekers to France weeks after an official removal scheme ended, according to the Guardian. The newspaper reported that the UK government is still detaining dozens of asylum seekers and forcibly removed one group to France this week. [1]

The one in, one out scheme was originally announced by French President Emmanuel Macron and former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July 2025. According to the Guardian, the arrangement aimed to deter people from crossing the English Channel in small boats from northern France. [1]

Under the terms of the agreement, some asylum seekers who arrived in the UK were forcibly returned to France. In exchange, an equal number of asylum seekers located in northern France were allowed to travel legally to the UK, the Guardian reported. [1]

France borders the English Channel and has a population that reached 68.6 million people in January 2025. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the UK government has also taken measures against other nations regarding asylum returns, including threatening an entry ban on Eritrean citizens after Eritrea stopped cooperating on returns. [1][4][5]