‘Lost’: Migrants Despair After UK Sends 1,087 People Back To France Under ‘One In, One Out’ Deal

Former Afghan soldier Haidary Hamedullah and dozens of others who tried to cross the English Channel to seek refuge in Britain say they were detained, offered only brief legal help and then flown back to France under a UK–France “one in, one out” arrangement that has alarmed charities and migrants alike.

How The Deal Works

The bilateral arrangement, which came into force on August 6 last year and has been extended to the end of September, allows the United Kingdom to refuse entry to people who crossed the Channel illegally if they are judged ineligible for asylum. In exchange, London accepts an equal number of migrants who request entry in France without taking the small-boat route. By the end of June, the UK had returned 1,087 people to France and admitted 1,117 people from France as part of the reciprocal exchange.

Personal Stories: Detention, Uncertainty, Fear

Haidary Hamedullah — a 28-year-old former Afghan soldier — told AFP he fled Afghanistan for Pakistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 and later attempted multiple crossings into Europe before travelling to France. He paid smugglers €1,500 in Dunkirk for a dinghy crossing. After a thwarted attempt, he and others succeeded on a later try and landed at Dover.

“People like me have nowhere in the world to live in safety… Where should we go?”

Hamedullah said women and children were housed in hotels but lone men were detained. He described being held with roughly 350 others at a detention facility near London’s Heathrow airport, with little to do and “only one television with one channel.” He met a lawyer for about 30 minutes and, 51 days after arriving, was returned to France. He now fears further transfers to other European countries where his asylum claims were refused.

Yunes and Yassin — two Yemeni brothers with a genetic eye condition — told AFP they fled Houthi-controlled areas, spent 18 months in Egypt, then reached France where they say they received death threats. Hoping to join a sister with British nationality, they crossed the Channel on a boat that spent about 15 hours at sea. Initially offered tea and cake at a reception centre, they said they were later told by an interior ministry official that they were criminals for coming “illegally.” After several weeks in detention, they were flown back to France and remain in a refugee shelter awaiting a decision on their status.

Wider Context And Concern

More than 41,000 migrants landed in the UK last year — the second-highest annual total since records began in 2018 — prompting both London and Paris to frame the accord as a tool to disrupt people-smuggling networks and deter risky crossings. But more than 20 charities in both countries warn the agreement inflicts "further harm" on people who have already survived war, torture, persecution, trafficking and dangerous sea journeys.

Critics point to long periods of detention, limited legal access, rushed decisions and the risk of onward transfers to countries where asylum claims were previously refused. For many returned migrants the deal compounds uncertainty and leaves families divided and vulnerable.

What Comes Next

The treaty remains politically sensitive and its extension through September will be watched closely by rights groups, legal advocates and governments. For people like Hamedullah and the Yemeni brothers, the immediate future remains unclear — their priority is safety and the chance to reunite with family.