French officials have warned that the new UK-France migrant returns agreement will attract more people to the Channel coast.
The suggestion directly contradicts Sir Keir Starmer's assertion that it will "break the model" of smuggling gangs.
The "one in, one out" deal, announced on Thursday, allows France to veto which small boat migrants Britain sends back, sparking fears that the agreement will leave the most dangerous criminals in Britain.
The details of each migrant selected for removal will be shared with France before they are returned on deportation flights, giving French authorities the chance to reject individuals who have a criminal record, are deemed a security risk or who they have previously rejected for asylum.
French officials have warned that the new UK-France migrant returns agreement will attract more people to the Channel coast
PA
The UK will also have a veto on who it allows in, taking into account factors such as whether the person has any connections to the country and if they have lived here before.
Lucy Moreton from the Immigration Service Union, one of two unions that represent Border Force staff, said: “If we encounter someone we know from the databases we have access to is a known rapist, why would France have them back? He’s our problem.”
"If you can’t get into Britain by a small boat you’ll try another route and organised crime will set up and use other routes.”
Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, added: “There’s a lot of evidence from other settings around the world that when you increase enforcement it does reduce the number of people attempting the crossing but it also diverts some to different routes and sometimes that’s more dangerous.”
The suggestion directly contradicts Sir Keir Starmer's assertion that it will 'break the model' of smuggling gangs
PA
The pilot scheme is set to begin within weeks with up to 50 exchanges weekly, though officials expect this number to increase if successful.
This would mean only one in 17 small boat arrivals would be returned at current crossing rates.
The Home Office acknowledged there would be an adjustment period but said numbers could grow quickly once systems were established.
Legal challenges, based on international human rights and refugee laws, are anticipated, similar to those that undermined the Conservative Party's Rwanda scheme.
The 'one in, one out' deal, announced on Thursday, allows Britain to deport some small boat arrivals to France whilst accepting migrants with UK family connections in return
PA
The deal requires "legal verification" from the European Commission and EU states, with some already objecting to France accepting returned migrants from Britain.
Bouchart said local politicians would have to "manage migrants who the British government will have chosen to return to France."
Natacha Bouchart, Calais's mayor, warned the prospect of UK asylum would create a new "pull" factor.
The pilot scheme is set to begin within weeks with up to 50 exchanges weekly
PAShe said: "Migrants are going to flock here, drawn by the attraction."
Bouchart expressed anger at being excluded from negotiations.
She told regional media: "The contempt which the people of Calais and the coastal residents have to endure is unacceptable.
"Once again, I get the impression that France has handed everything to the British. I am very angry and stunned to see that there was no consideration for me as the mayor or for the coastal mayors, or the inhabitants."