A set of illegal migrants who arrived in the UK after Sir Keir Starmer's "one-in, one-out" deal came into force have been detained ahead of returning to France in just a few weeks.
The Home Office revealed this morning that a number of Channel crossing migrants are being held at removal centres after reaching the Kent coast at lunchtime yesterday.
Britain will make its referrals to France within three days, giving Paris time to respond over the following fortnight.
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Those detained in Kent will be briefed on the procedure for their return to France.
The first set of illegal migrants has been detained
|PA
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Yesterday, under the terms of this groundbreaking new treaty, the first group of people to cross the Channel were detained after their arrival at Western Jet Foil and will now be held in detention until they can be returned to France.
"That sends a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organised crime gangs to go to the UK that they will be risking their lives and throwing away their money if they get into a small boat.
"No one should be making this illegal and dangerous journey that undermines our border security and lines the pockets of the criminal gangs."
Cooper added that this step marks the time to "unravel" criminal gangs and "undermine their business model".
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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it 'sends a message' to migrants thinking of crossing the Channel
| PAShe said: "We are on track to do what no other Government has done since this crisis first started - sending small boat arrivals back to France and strengthening our borders through the Plan for Change."
The Government confirmed that both France and the UK would closely monitor the scheme and work to identify and detain individuals under the treaty.
Around 155 small boat migrants crossed the English Channel yesterday, the first day since the Government's new partial returns agreement was signed with the French.
Just before 1.30pm yesterday, the Border Force vessel Typhoon arrived at Dover harbour with the first group of migrants picked up today.
Migrants making their way into the UK yesterday
|PA
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the move today is still not a deterrent as "94 per cent of illegal arrivals remain in the UK under this deal".
Philp said: "Keir Starmer's promise last year to 'smash the gangs' has turned out to be nothing more than a gimmick that didn't work, and this is just the same.
"They are detaining a token handful of arrivals, and in return, we accept unvetted migrants from France. The whole thing is riddled with loopholes, opt-outs and legal escape routes that will make removals near-impossible.
"For those we accept in return, France will not share any personal data under the agreement. So even if the French Government knows the migrant has a criminal record or is an extremist or terrorist, they won't tell us.
"Yvette Cooper is busy declaring victory, but the facts speak for themselves - over 25,000 people have crossed the Channel illegally so far this year, making it the worst year on record, and more than 46,000 since Labour took office."