Illegal migrants deported from Britain to France under the new “one-in one-out” scheme did not have enough access to translators, legal advice or information about what would happen to them next, inspectors said in a report published on Monday.
20 people removed on a flight in November were offered a translator who spoke Arabic and French, but hardly any of them knew those languages, the UK prison inspectorate said in its first report on the scheme that was launched in July.
They knew they were being deported to France but did not know what would happen to them there, “which increased anxiety for some,” it said. They were given law firms’ phone numbers, but many said the solicitors did not want to take their cases, it added.
Under the agreement, a person who comes to Britain on a small boat can be detained and returned to France, and an equal number of illegal migrants are then authorised to travel from France to Britain via a new legal route. The stated aim is to persuade illegal migrants not to risk the dangerous and illegal crossing from France and to break up people-smuggling gangs.
