New UK Deportation Plan Branded Human Lives Lottery As Asylum Seekers Fear Forced Flights To France

“We can’t eat. We can’t sleep. We have been locked up in this place for more than a month. Some people expect to be forced on to a plane to France today. Nobody wants to go. For us, this is a disaster.”

Those are the words of Fessahaye, an asylum seeker from Eritrea who fled indefinite military conscription, endured torture and slavery in Libya, crossed the Mediterranean, and eventually arrived in the UK on a small boat. Now he finds himself locked inside Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick, one of two facilities holding around 92 people in preparation for removal to France.

It’s part of a new “one in, one out” deal hailed by the prime minister as a turning point in stopping small boat arrivals. Under the scheme, those who enter the UK by boat are detained and returned to France, while in exchange, a limited number of asylum seekers in northern France are granted legal entry to Britain to have their cases heard, reported the Guardian.

For detainees like Fessahaye, the reality is grim. Locked in cells, many spend their days desperately trying to find lawyers to stop their removal. Abdul, from Afghanistan, says: “What is so upsetting for us is the unfairness of it all. A few people from my country were on the same boat as me. They were not locked up as I am, but were allowed to go free and are living in a hotel at the moment. It seems it is just a matter of luck whether the Home Office locks you up or sets you free.”

He adds that when he asked officials how decisions were made, the only answer he got was: “You came to the UK illegally in a small boat.” Some detainees have even gone on hunger strike in protest.

So far, there’s little sign the policy has deterred crossings. Since detentions began on 6 August, thousands more people have crossed the Channel, including more than a thousand on a single day in September. Critics say the policy is not just ineffective but unfair, trading one person’s chance at safety for another’s forced return.

The Home Office has issued removal notices that bluntly confirm flight details, with a Q&A leaflet telling detainees they’ll get temporary accommodation in France and “financial assistance” if they return to their home countries.

For many, going home would be a death sentence. NGOs say those detained include survivors of torture, trafficking, sexual abuse and slavery, with many suffering PTSD and suicidal thoughts.

There are also reports of children wrongly detained, later released. And while France is officially classed as a safe country, some asylum seekers fear being sent back after experiencing teargas and beatings from French police. Tensions have risen further with far-right groups harassing migrants in northern France.

Adding to the controversy, Air France has been named as the airline carrying out the removals, with campaigners urging the company to pull out. Refugee groups in both countries describe the deportations as a cynical numbers game that puts lives at risk.

The first flights could leave as early as Monday. For those detained, the anxiety is crushing. Hagos, another Eritrean waiting in Brook House, says simply: “I am so stressed about the threat of being sent back to France. I came here to find safety. I never expected to be locked up instead.”