The UK’s new deportation flights, under a highly contentious deal with France, have yet to fly a single migrant. As it stands now, the plan remains suspended. The first flight under this “one in, one out” deal has departed. Announced with great fanfare by Keir Starmer, it allegedly sailed off without ever picking up a single Channel-crossing person. This is a significant and encouraging development, but it raises several important questions. How practical is the deal in addressing the current increase of asylum seekers coming into the UK?
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith refused to confirm the number of people being sent back to France this week. She provided no further information on the agreement. To add to the confusion, French officials have signaled that they will only accept a limited initial set of deportations. Despite these setbacks, the Home Office has scheduled multiple flights throughout the week, booking seats in anticipation of future deportations.
The need for these kind of measures is made clear by the shocking numbers joining the Channel crossings. So far this year, over 30,000 people have made the crossing the Channel and reached the UK. This new, outlandish milestone is the earliest of its kind on record since 2018. This increase in arrivals has put more pressure on the UK government to propose and implement solutions that effectively deter persons from undertaking illegal routes of immigration.
Just last month, the government sent out some formal removal directions to people who arrived in the UK on small boats. The notifications threatened them with deportation in as little as five days. The first flight intended to carry out all these removals lacked any of those migrants. This lack of commitment to actualize deportations leads to serious doubts as to the operational readiness of the accord.
Home Secretary Priti Patel’s UK-France deal sets up a reciprocal arrangement with France to return their asylum seekers. When they do come to the UK, they can be returned to France if they crossed the Channel. In the meantime, France has agreed to accept all asylum grantees approved in the UK. This arrangement was initially announced during Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the UK in July, signaling a renewed effort to tackle cross-Channel migration collaboratively.
And the political landscape is changing quickly. Both governments are facing controversial political situations regarding their handling of immigration, as well as the viability of this new agreement. The stakes for each country are high as they both respond to domestic political pressure while attempting to meet their global responsibilities.