LONDON — A man sent to France under the “one in, one out” scheme agreed between London and Paris has returned to Britain on a small boat.
The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday that the man, who wants to claim asylum in the U.K., made a second crossing on a small boat as he claims to be the victim of modern slavery at the hands of smugglers in northern France.
The “one in, one out” scheme struck between the U.K. and France in July meant undocumented migrants entering Britain via small boats could be returned in exchange for asylum seekers who had never crossed the channel and had a U.K. connection. The first undocumented migrant was returned in September.
“If I had felt that France was safe for me I would never have returned to the U.K.,” the man told the Guardian. “The smugglers are very dangerous. They always carry weapons and knives. I fell into the trap of a human trafficking network in the forests of France before I crossed to the U.K. from France the first time.”
He added: “They took me like a worthless object, forced me to work, abused me, and threatened me with a gun and told me I would be killed if I made the slightest protest.”
25 asylum seekers who were returned to France as part of the deal drafted a joint statement shared with the Guardian earlier this month, warning about the “extremely difficult and unsafe conditions” they were living in.
The Home Office confirmed Sunday that 16 small boat arrivals had been returned to France last week, taking the total number of returns to 42, while 23 asylum seekers have been brought to the U.K. under the treaty.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We will not accept any abuse of our borders, and we will do everything in our power to remove those without the legal right to be here. Individuals who are returned under the pilot and subsequently attempt to re-enter the U.K. illegally will be removed.”
Bethany Dawson contributed to this report.
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