UK flies first migrant back to France under 'one in, one out' policy

London — The United Kingdom on Thursday returned the first migrant to France under a new 'one in, one out' exchange policy for asylum seekers who enter the country without authorization. A man who arrived by boat in August was flown back to France, and officials said more removals are planned through next week.

"This is an important first step to securing our borders," Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. "It sends a message to people crossing in small boats: if you enter the U.K. illegally, we will seek to remove you."

The policy was put in place by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government as it tries to curb the flow of migrants making dangerous English Channel crossings. Unauthorized migration has long been a problem, but has recently caused political turmoil after anti-immigrant protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers. The removal came two days after a setback for the government when a High Court judge temporarily blocked the removal of a 25-year-old Eritrean man seeking asylum to France, saying he should be given an opportunity to show he was a human trafficking victim. Government lawyers argued the man should have sought asylum in France when he had the opportunity. Mahmood said the government would appeal and would fight all last-minute attempts to halt removals.

Officials say the deal with Paris is a major breakthrough, even though the initial program targets a limited number of people. Starmer scrapped the previous Conservative administration’s plan to send migrants who crossed the Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. Instead, the government has pursued a bilateral arrangement with France to return some crossers to France, in exchange for accepting some asylum-seekers currently in France who have family ties to Britain.

The policy forms part of a broader effort to speed up asylum processing and reduce the number of migrants housed in hotels. Dozens have died in recent years attempting to cross the English Channel in overcrowded boats, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

As the government moves forward, UK officials have indicated the French agreement could be a model for further returns, even as court challenges and logistical questions remain. The Home Office said it will continue to defend removals against last-minute injunctions while pursuing the broader exchanges and deterrence strategy that Starmer’s government has prioritized.

More than 30,000 people have made the crossing so far this year, compared to about 37,000 for all of 2024, underscoring the scale of the challenge and the urgency behind policy changes. The government also faces pressure from towns and hotels that have housed asylum seekers while their claims are processed, and from protestors calling for more humane immigration policies.