NGOs raise concerns over asylum seekers returned to France

Human rights organisations have told a parliamentary meeting that hundreds of asylum seekers returned from the UK to France under the “one in, one out” scheme are no longer in contact with French authorities.

The groups said their concerns included at least 41 children and young people whose ages were disputed. They claim the minors were unlawfully returned, although the UK Home Office said categorically that nobody was returned while their age was in dispute.

About 1,400 small-boat arrivals have reportedly been returned to France since September 2025, representing 4 per cent of roughly 32,000 Channel crossings. The pilot exchanges a person returned to France for an asylum seeker legally admitted to the UK from France.

French politicians told The Guardian that only about 200 forcibly returned people remained in contact with authorities, with others believed to have gone underground elsewhere in Europe. The full number and whereabouts of those no longer in contact have not been independently verified.

Médecins Sans Frontières reported severe psychological symptoms among some returnees, including flashbacks, acute anxiety, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. The treaty excludes lone children and prohibits their detention as adults, while independent monitoring boards have reported that almost 100 children were identified as unlawfully detained as adults for the scheme.

The agreement is due to expire on 1 October, with its future unresolved. The Home Office said the treatment of returnees after arrival in France was a matter for French authorities; France’s interior ministry declined to comment.