'One-in, one-out' illegal migrants caught coming back to Britain in lorries

Two were detained by Home Office immigration enforcement officers - while two more have been sent to live in unknown locations in London.

France has sent 380 asylum seekers over to Britain as part of the controversial deal.

The UK has sent 377 small boat migrants to France under the agreement, signed by Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron last summer.

The two men now in detention centres arrived on separate lorries on March 5 and March 7.

Both claimed they were forced to return to the UK by smugglers who aimed to smash the one in, one out scheme.

The other two, who are understood to be in hiding, returned to the UK by lorry on March 12.

One of the two men who is now in detention told The Guardian that smugglers found him in a shelter in Paris after being returned and sent him "by force" back to the UK.

He said he was caught by police in Dover as his lorry entered the country.

"The smugglers have guns, they control everything, we have to try to stay alive," he claimed.

The other illegal migrant now in detention said he was not caught on arrival by border police.

He decided to turn himself in to a police station, adding "I don't want to live illegally in any country".

Only two per cent of the 18,790 small boat migrants who have crossed the Channel have been returned to France since the scheme came into place in August.

In October, an Iranian migrant returned to the UK within a month after being returned to France.

And a second migrant returned on November 8 on a small boat after being removed on October 16.

Prior to 2018, lorries were the primary way for migrants to enter Britain, but when security in northern France increased to curb the practice, smugglers began offering small boats as an alternative.

GB News revealed 150 small boat migrants entered the country on Wednesday, taking advantage of warmer weather.

Lorries can be three or four times more expensive to take than small boat entry.

A Home Office spokesman said: "France is our closest migration partner and through our joint work, 40,000 small-boat crossing attempts have been stopped since this Government came into office.

"French maritime forces have agreed to intercept small boats on the water and our landmark agreement means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.

"Individuals who try to return are detected by biometrics, detained instantly and returned at the earliest opportunity, having wasted their time and money."