Britain, France Drop 2025 Migrant Deal as Channel Arrivals Fall 43%
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 1
Britain, France Drop 2025 Migrant Deal as Channel Arrivals Fall 43%
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 1
Summary
France and Britain let their “one in, one out” migrant pact expire on Oct. 1 after a one-month extension, ending a 2025 pilot that let Britain return Channel crossers in exchange for legal entrants.
France refused to renew the deal despite British lobbying, arguing London should negotiate a broader deportation arrangement with all 27 European Union countries instead of relying on Paris alone.
British officials said they wanted the program to continue and will use lessons from the pilot to speed returns of small-boat migrants with no right to remain in the U.K.
Channel arrivals to Britain were down 43% through August from a year earlier, but experts said the drop owed more to tighter French beach policing and weather than to the bilateral pact.