UK judge blocks migrant deportation to France in first test of new Channel deal
Interim relief delays the first removal under London-Paris pact as trafficking concerns are reviewed
LONDON — A British High Court judge granted interim relief on Wednesday, temporarily blocking the government’s plan to deport a 25-year-old Eritrean asylum-seeker back to France under a bilateral deal intended to reduce Channel crossings. The ruling delays what would have been the first deportation under the London-Paris agreement.
The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was set to depart Britain on a commercial flight on Wednesday. His lawyers argued he may be a victim of human trafficking and should be allowed to pursue asylum in the United Kingdom rather than be sent to France. Judge Clive Sheldon said there is a serious issue to be tried regarding the trafficking claim and whether the Home Secretary’s investigatory duties were carried out lawfully. Government lawyers contended the man could have sought asylum in France under the deal and that the case should proceed in line with the ongoing policy.
The case comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer pushes to curb crossings by underpinning a deal with Paris to return some migrants who reach Britain via small boats in exchange for Britain accepting some asylum seekers with family ties to Britain living in France. So far this year, more than 30,000 people have crossed the Channel by small boats, following about 37,000 in 2024. Officials say the agreement would be a major improvement even if it covers only a limited number of cases, and the government is also seeking to speed up asylum processing and reduce the use of hotels to house migrants.
The policy shift follows Starmer scrapping the previous Conservative administration’s Rwanda plan, replacing it with this bilateral approach. Cabinet Minister Liz Kendall said the court decision was disappointing but would not derail the overall deal, noting that this ruling concerned one individual and is not a rejection of the agreement’s fundamental aims.
Britain has faced protests over hotel housing and delays as it processes tens of thousands of migrants, a factor that has fueled political pressure to deliver a tangible policy that reduces arrivals and ensures removals where appropriate. The dispute illustrates the tensions between humanitarian protections, international obligations, and political commitments to curb perilous crossings.