Eritrean migrant to be deported under 'one-in, one-out' scheme after High Court denial

A small boat migrant from Eritrea is set to be deported to France under the government's one-in, one-out scheme after losing a High Court bid to block his removal. He arrived in the United Kingdom on a small boat last month and is scheduled for removal at 6:15 a.m. Friday after asking the court for interim relief ahead of a full challenge to the decision.

The Home Office opposed the bid to block the removal, telling the court there was no serious issue to be tried. In a ruling, Mr Justice Sheldon refused the application for interim relief, saying: "In my judgment, the application for interim relief is refused. The test for injunctive relief is not made out. I consider that there is no serious issue to be tried in this case." The judge noted the claimant's account of forced conscription in 2019 and his movements through Ethiopia, South Sudan and Libya before reaching France and eventually the UK, including a stay in Dunkirk’s encampment known as 'the jungle' for around three weeks. The man was detained by UK Border Force on August 6 and told his asylum claim was inadmissible on August 9, according to the ruling.

This case follows another Eritrean man who successfully sought a temporary block on his deportation earlier this week after the same judge found there was a serious issue to be tried over trafficking claims. The court heard that the national referral mechanism (NRM) found that the man had likely not been trafficked but offered him time to make further representations. The judge said there was still room for further investigation into the trafficking claim. Following Tuesday’s hearing, the Home Office revised its policy on reconsidering modern slavery decisions so that anyone being removed to a safe country who wants to appeal an NRM decision will be unable to do so. Instead, they can launch a legal challenge from another country, such as France.

Officials say the deportation is part of a broader approach to speed removals in cases where asylum eligibility is inadmissible or where France may accept individuals under the one-in, one-out framework. This is a developing story with updates to come as authorities continue to assess legal avenues and procedural safeguards in migration enforcement.