The migrant who re-entered the UK via a small boat after being deported under the ‘one-in, one-out’ deal with France is still in the country, the border security minister has said.
The Iranian man’s second dinghy crossing took place just 29 days after he was kicked out of Britain under Sir Keir Starmer’s flagship borders policy.
The Conservatives previously said the debacle showed the Government’s return deal with France was ‘descending into farce’.
Alex Norris today confirmed the migrant is yet to be removed, but rejected suggestions that the situation proves Labour’s scheme is not fit for purpose.
Speaking to Sky News, the minister said: ‘He’s wasting a lot of his own time. He’s come through; he was detected immediately at the front door, he was detained, and he will be removed from this country.
‘He hasn’t gone yet, but he will be removed.’
Asked when the migrant would be deported, the minister said: ‘I wouldn’t want to give a specific timeline, but we are removing him as soon as possible.’
Questioned whether the case suggested the returns deal is not fit for purpose, Mr Norris said: ‘No, not at all.
‘The reality is people are always going to test your front door, test your boundaries. This person’s done that, and totally wasted their time in doing so.’
It comes after other migrants who were deported to France under Labour’s scheme escaped their asylum centre and vowed to return to Britain via a small boat, it emerged yesterday.
Several deportees are understood to have already fled their accommodation in Paris, with their sights set on re-entering the UK.
‘Abdul’ and ‘Ali’ complained of a lack of support offered to migrants in France compared to the UK, saying there is homelessness and a lack of housing.
‘Ali’ went on to claim his future had been ‘destroyed because of the UK government’.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, the pair said: ‘We are just looking for a safe [place]. If we have a chance to go back legally, we would. I will try my best again to go to the UK.
‘I don’t have any choice. If I go [back] to my country, the government will kill me. I think I’ll be (only) safe in the UK.’
The pair added they are now considering another Channel crossing after claiming officials sent them to France without a clear reason or support.
Several deportees in their group have also absconded from the accommodation and have not been seen for several days, it is understood, with some likely to attempt to re-enter the UK.
The Iranian national who returned to Britain via a small boat despite being part of the scheme had first arrived in the UK on August 6.
He was initially removed on September 19 but skipped a migrant shelter in Paris, where he had been accommodated, and headed back to the northern French coast.
There, he boarded a dinghy back to the UK, arriving on Saturday, less than a month after he was booted out.
He is currently being detained in a British immigration detention facility after border authorities used biometric checks to identify him as a returned migrant.
The total number of small boat migrants to have arrived since Labour came to power has skyrocketed past 60,000.
This year has seen the second-highest annual number of small boat migrants since the problem began almost seven years ago, topping the 36,816 witnessed last year, but welcome to the UK, the laughing stock of the world.
Keir Starmer needs to resign; he’s not up to the job, but then neither were his predecessors either.
Where is the proof that these migrants will be killed if they go back to their country of origin? If their lives were in so much peril, wouldn’t they just use the legal route as an asylum seeker?
No, this lot wants the freebies that they know they will get when they get here, and nothing more, unless you include raping and assaulting our women. Some of them even go back home to their country of origin for holidays, but when you have clowns running our country, it will always be a comedy show – perhaps we should have Keir Starmer on Open Mic Night!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 