Sawt Falasteen - UK says first migrants held under return deal with France

The agreement, which came into force on Wednesday, seeks to curb record levels of irregular Channel crossings, which are causing discontent in Britain and helping fuel the rise of the hard-right Reform UK party.

"Detentions began for those who arrived in the UK on a small boat yesterday lunchtime (Wednesday). They will be held in immigration removal centres pending their removal," the interior ministry said in a statement.

The detained individuals are expected to be removed to France in the "coming weeks", it added.

Under the arrangement -- for now a pilot scheme set to run until June 2026 -- irregular migrants arriving on UK shores can be detained and then returned to France if they are deemed ineligible for asylum.

This would include those who have passed through a "safe country" to reach the UK, according to a Home Office fact sheet.

In exchange, London will accept an equal number of migrants from France who can apply for a visa to enter the UK via an online platform, giving priority to nationalities most vulnerable to smugglers and people with ties in Britain.

If approved, they will have a three-month period in which they can enter the UK and apply for asylum.

- 'Important step' -

"If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back. When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it," Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X after the announcement of the detentions.

His government will refer the detainees' cases to France within three days, and the French authorities will be expected to respond within 14 days.

The whole process of returning someone could take three months and the UK will cover all the costs until the migrant is handed over, according to the treaty.

Unaccompanied minors will not be eligible for deportation under the scheme.

The reciprocal process to allow migrants to submit an expression of interest to come the UK also began on Thursday.

Applicants must upload a passport or other identity documents as well as a recent photograph and will have to pass further security checks and biometric controls.

Interior minister Yvette Cooper said that the detentions "send 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.

"Criminal gangs have spent seven years embedding themselves along our border and it will take time to unravel them, but these detentions are an important step towards undermining their business model and unravelling the false promises they make," she added.

Refugee charities have criticised the deal, urging the British government to provide more safe and legal routes for asylum seekers instead.

The number of migrants making the dangerous journey in flimsy dinghies this year crossed 25,000 at the end of July, the highest tally ever at this point in the year.

In recent weeks, anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters have clashed outside hotels housing asylum seekers in Britain, with some marches turning violent.

S.Abdullah--SF-PST