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Asylum seeker sent back to France in ‘one in, one out’ scheme to be returned to Syria
NEWS
5/2/2026

Asylum seeker sent back to France in ‘one in, one out’ scheme to be returned to Syria

Kurdish Syrian man, 26, said he fled forced conscription by YPG militia because he ‘didn’t want to kill people’An asylum seeker sent back to France under the controversial “one in, one out” scheme faces being returned to Syria after authorities in Paris ruled it was safe to do so, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.When the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced the “groundbreaking” deal in July 2025 to stop small boats crowded with asylum seekers from crossing the Channel – by forcibly returning one small-boat asylum seeker to France in exchange for bringing one in northern France legally to the UK – they emphasised that France was a safe country for returnees. Continue reading...

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Guardian UK
UK to Fund 200 French Officers for Detention and Deportation of Asylum Seekers from 10 Countries
Developing
Politics·4/23/2026AI summary

UK to Fund 200 French Officers for Detention and Deportation of Asylum Seekers from 10 Countries

The UK has agreed to pay for 200 French officers to detain and deport asylum seekers from 10 specific nationalities under a new £662m deal with France. The detain-and-deport scheme targets nationals from Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Syria, Vietnam and Yemen at a new removal site in Dunkirk. The deal includes a £162m payment-by-results package on top of a new three-year £500m baseline agreement, with the Dunkirk facility expected to open by end of 2026.

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Guardian UK
UK to pay France another £660m to curb Channel crossings
NEWS
4/22/2026

UK to pay France another £660m to curb Channel crossings

Three-year deal includes funding for a riot squad to ‘disperse’ people trying to board small boatsThe UK government has agreed to pay France another £660m to curb the number of asylum seekers travelling across the Channel, including plans to fund a riot squad to “contain and disperse” people trying to board small boats.Under a three-year deal to be signed on Thursday by the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, 1,100 enforcement, intelligence and military officers – an increase of 40% – will be employed to track down smuggling gangs and people seeking refuge. Continue reading...

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Guardian UK