Overview
- At least four people deported to France under the reciprocal scheme re-entered the UK in lorries this month, with two detained and two believed to be living off the grid in London.
- Consecutive warm, calm days saw 261 arrivals on March 18 and 145 on March 19, taking the provisional year-to-date total to more than 3,850.
- Dover’s upgraded processing centre has reopened, with arrivals now being landed and processed there rather than at Ramsgate.
- Since August, 377 small-boat arrivals have been returned to France while 380 asylum seekers have been transferred to the UK, equating to roughly 2% of crossings returned.
- A Home Office spokesperson says re-entrants are identified by biometrics and removed again, as ministers pursue reforms including temporary refugee status and cash offers of up to £40,000 for voluntary departure, while the National Crime Agency warns smuggling tactics are evolving and crossings could persist or rise.