Second migrant to be removed to France after court bid fails

An Eritrean man is due to be flown out of the United Kingdom to France on Friday morning under the government’s one in, one out deal with France, after a last minute court bid to delay the departure failed. The flight is scheduled to leave at 06:15, making him the second person removed from the UK under the policy.

The removal comes just over a month after the two countries agreed the year‑long pilot scheme of exchanges of migrants aimed at deterring small boat crossings. The first flight under the arrangement returned an Indian national to France on Thursday, a development that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said demonstrates to people attempting to cross the Channel illegally that removal is possible.

The Eritrean man arrived in England on a small boat in August. His lawyers argued that he might have been a victim of human trafficking. In a ruling after a three‑hour emergency hearing on Thursday, the presiding judge said there was no legal justification to delay the transport and that the home secretary was acting in the public interest by pursuing a policy to deter dangerous people smuggling. The judge noted that the migrant would have an opportunity to make his case in France. The claimant had given differing accounts of trafficking, and the court concluded that his account could not reasonably be believed in light of that inconsistency.

The decision coincided with a broader shift in government policy on how modern day slavery claims are handled in England and Wales. The Home Office changed its approach to make it harder for Channel migrants to resist being sent to France. Under the new rule, a migrant who is refused protection in the UK because they have suffered slavery or trafficking may only challenge that decision after they have been flown out of the country. The policy change followed a separate Eritrean migrant’s temporary delay in a return to France, a decision the government said it would appeal.

The debate over immigration and crossings has also touched on comments from U.S. President Donald Trump during a state visit, who urged consideration of using the military to curb small boat crossings. Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded by underscoring that the UK relies on a network of international cooperation and that authorities are pursuing the issue with seriousness and multiple partnerships in mind.

Officials say more flights are planned in the coming days, though the number of passengers on each flight remains unclear due to ongoing legal challenges and court actions. About 100 men are currently held in immigration removal centres near Heathrow as part of the scheme. Since the policy began at the start of August, roughly 5,590 migrants have reached the UK.

The program aims to deter smuggling and reduce crossings by ensuring that for every migrant returned to France, another migrant with a credible asylum claim is admitted to the UK. Neither government has suggested that the plan alone will end crossings, but officials say it is one element of a broader effort to manage irregular migration and bolster border controls.