An Iranian man has become the third person to be removed under Britain's return deal with France.
The man has been returned to France after crossing the English Channel in a small boat, according to Home Office sources.
This followed the removal of an Eritrean man earlier today after he lost a High Court bid to halt his removal.
An Indian national was deported yesterday.
The first flights carrying asylum seekers from France to the UK under the deal are expected to take place next week, the source added.
Although they would not comment on numbers, the source said they were expected to be “at or close to parity”, given the “one-in, one-out” nature of the deal.
Ministers have praised the returns, with Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy saying they provided an “immediate deterrent” to people seeking to cross the Channel.
The Government intends to increase the number of people being sent back under the pilot deal over the coming months.
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An Iranian man has become the third person to be removed under Britain's return deal with France
|REUTERS
The deal with France means people who arrive in Britain by small boat can be detained and returned across the Channel, in exchange for an equivalent number of people who applied through a safe and legal route.
A Government source said: “I would note these are now three forced removals after eight weeks - the Rwanda scheme managed four VOLUNTEERS in two years.”
But shadow home secretary Chris Philp attacked the deal as providing “no deterrent effect whatsoever”, describing the numbers returned as “pathetic” and saying “boasting about it is absurd”.
GB News revealed this morning that at least 800 migrants were set to cross the Channel today.
GB News was told Border Force was braced for a 'significant day of migrant activity' today
|PA
After nine days of windy weather, preventing migrant crossings, conditions improved overnight.
At first light, suspected people smugglers around the Calais and Dunkirk areas pushed multiple small boats out into the Channel.
The People's Channel was told Border Force was braced for a “significant day of migrant activity”.
Mr Lammy - who was appointed Deputy Prime Minister earlier this month following Angela Rayner's resignation - said the Government hopes to see migrant returns “grow over the coming months and years”.
He said: “This pilot with France is a milestone because it sends an immediate deterrent to people, many of them coming obviously across the water, that we will send them back and it is our hope to see that grow over the coming months and years because we have to bear down on the gangs and we have to smash the model effectively and we have to ensure that those who do not have a right to be here are sent back to the countries from which they are from.”
Speaking at a joint press conference yesterday, Donald Trump told Sir Keir Starmer that he could “call in the military” to tackle Britain's migrant crisis.
The US President stated: “You have people coming in, and I told the Prime Minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use.
Donald Trump told Sir Keir Starmer that he could 'call in the military' to tackle Britain's migrant crisis
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“It destroys countries from within and we’re actually now removing a lot of the people that came into our country.”
Discussing the remarks on GB News, Deputy leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, supported Mr Trump's suggestion.
He said: “It would act as a deterrent, and that's why we announced in August when everyone else is on holiday our Operation Restoring Justice.
“We've got to detain everybody that crosses and put them into remote camps, military camps, in remote areas, far away from residents, and deport them immediately.
“Either back to where they came from or to third country destinations. That's our plan, and it's the only plan that will work and act as a deterrent.”