Immigration agreement between the British and French governments

Britain and France have reached an agreement on the return of illegal immigrants.

According to a decision made by the British and French governments on illegal immigrants, and then approved by the European Union, the British government will begin a program to detain and return refugees who immigrate to the country via the English Channel in small boats.

According to the agreement, which has also been approved by the European Union, the British Home Office can return some refugees who migrate to the UK via the English Channel in small boats to France, and in return, it will accept a certain number of refugees from France through legal and safe routes.

The scheme will run on a pilot basis until July 2026 and is designed on a “one-for-one” basis, meaning that for every illegal immigrant returned to France, one legal refugee will be accepted from France. It is estimated that around 50 people will be returned to France per week during the pilot period.

The deal also means that people who tried to enter the UK illegally will not be eligible for legal asylum. The decision comes after around 25,000 migrants have arrived in the UK via the English Channel in small boats since the start of this year. According to figures released, only 898 people crossed the Channel to the UK on July 30.

The British Home Office also announced that it is not only fully prepared to implement this plan, but also that the necessary preparations are in place, including freeing up space in immigration detention centers and implementing a new program to identify and detain immigrants.

Despite British Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisting that the agreement was the result of months of diplomacy and could help deter human trafficking gangs, Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Phillip said the plan would make no difference and blamed the increase in illegal immigrants crossing the Channel on the cancellation of the Rwanda plan.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also referred to the agreement and emphasized that the government would vigorously defend the plan against any legal challenge.