First people detained under the "one in, one out" agreement before being sent back to France

Yvette Cooper confirms initial migrants detained under UK–France “one-in, one-out” scheme ahead of their return to France

PA Media reports that migrants who reached the UK after crossing the English Channel have become the first to be detained under the new UK–France “one in, one out” returns agreement. The inaugural detentions took place in Dover on Wednesday, the scheme’s first day of operation. Photographs showed people clad in life jackets disembarking from Border Force boats before being taken into custody.  

The Home Office confirmed those who arrived on Wednesday afternoon are now held in immigration removal centres pending their return to France. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Under the terms of this landmark treaty, the first group to arrive aboard the Western Jet Foil have been detained and will remain in detention until they can be sent back to France.”  

Cooper added that the move sends a stark warning to migrants contemplating payment to organised crime gangs: attempting the crossing in a small boat not only endangers their lives but also wastes their money.