Home Office ‘will deport dozens of Channel migrants to France, Germany and Spain this week’ – as lawyers launch a fresh bid to block their removal
- 3 flights with migrants who crossed the Channel in boats will depart next week
- Migrants who claim refugee status in another EU country can be returned there
- Home Office facing fresh deportation row – as lawyers seek to block removal
The Home Office is set to deport dozens of Channel migrants to France, Germany and Spain this week, reports suggest.
Three flights containing asylum seekers who entered Britain by crossing the Channel in small boats will depart in the coming days – and could make stops in other countries.
Under EU rules migrants who have already claimed refugee status in another EU country can be returned there.
The Home Office is facing a fresh row over the deportations – as lawyers seek to block the planes from flying, The Sun reports.
The Home Office (Home Secretary Priti Patel, pictured) is set to deport dozens of Channel migrants to France, Germany and Spain this week
Three flights containing asylum seekers who entered Britain by crossing the Channel in small boats will depart in the coming days – and could make stops in other countries. Pictured: Migrants with young children arriving into Dover today
Under EU rules migrants who have already claimed refugee status in another EU country can be returned there. Pictured: Migrants arriving into Dover today
Last month, Home Secretary Priti Patel hailed a £28million new agreement with her French counterpart aimed at curbing the number of migrants reaching the UK in small boats.
But the deal has not stopped people making it to UK shores. French authorities are refusing to intercept migrant boats heading for Britain once they are in the English Channel, despite the deal.
More than 8,500 migrants were estimated to have successfully entered the country this year – up from 1,850 last year.
Last week the Home Office was blocked from deporting 23 serious criminals to Jamaica after 11th-hour legal challenges backed by Labour MPs and celebrities.
More than 8,500 migrants were estimated to have successfully entered the country this year – up from 1,850 last year. Pictured:A boat likely used by migrants to cross the Channel
Five children – including this baby without socks or shoes – were among the migrants who landed on the Kent coast on Monday morning in 1C temperatures
A family of four were among arrivals in Dover on Monday in near-freezing conditions after making the perilous journey across the English Channel
Ms Patel last month detailed plans for new legislation to make it easier for judges to expel foreign criminals.
Her pledge drew criticism from human rights lawyers and it is unclear how the new laws will align with existing human rights legislation enshrined in UK law through the Human Rights Act 1998.
Five children – including a baby without socks or shoes – were among the migrants who landed on the Kent coast on Monday morning in 1C temperatures.
The children were seen being brought into the Port of Dover aboard a single Border Force rib, along with a number of adults.
The youngsters were wrapped in warm blankets as they disembarked at Dover on Monday
The youngsters (pictured) were visibly suffering from the 1C temperatures at the Kent port and were wrapped in blankets and life jackets
They are believed to have been picked up in the Channel by Border Force cutter Vigilant after departing from France.
The youngsters, some too young to walk, were visibly suffering from the 1C temperatures at the Kent port and were wrapped in blankets and life jackets.
Among them was a baby who did not have shoes or socks, being carried ashore in the arms of a woman.
Despite continued vows by Ms Patel to make the route ‘unviable’, there have been unprecedented numbers crossing the Channel in small boats in 2020.