Migrants were evacuated from France and returned to the UK on a small boat

The migrant returned to the UK in a small boat after being removed from France under the “One on, one” which was successful less than a month ago, BBC news understands.

The Guardian newspaper reported that the man says he has become a victim of modern-day slavery at the hands of criminal smugglers in France.

The home office refused to directly confirm the report but said the migrant was arrested and his removal was wanted as soon as possible.

Forty-two people who had come to the UK illegally have been removed so far under a scheme where the UK agrees to take in asylum seekers facing a protection charge.

The BBC understands the man is an Iranian national, and was initially detained on 6 August and removed on 19 September, becoming the third person to be sent to France under the scheme. He returned four days ago on October 18.

A male migrant – whose carer has not been named by the newspaper – told the newspaper that he is returning to the UK because he fears for his life in France.

Speaking about the alleged medical treatment, he said: “They took me for nothing, forced me to work, abused me, threatened me with a gun and told me that I would protest if I made a small protest.”

Asked about the report, a Home Office spokesman said: “We will not accept any abuse of our borders, and we will do everything in our power to remove those without a legal right to be here.

“People who are returned under the pilot and later try to re-enter the UK illegally will be removed.”

Maddie Harris, the network’s director of human rights, told BBC News that her organization had direct links to the Iranian man.

He said: “Since early morning [after his removal] He was very afraid … because of the experience he had at the hands of smugglers.

“While in France he received appalling treatment at the hands of the people who organized the trip to the UK.”

He said that the suspect returned because he felt that “he was not receiving protection in France and he was afraid that those people would continue with that.”

He also said that his organization has seen the cases of others returning under this program who have had “evidence of “evidence of ill-treatment, and who are unable to obtain a “adequate” removal process during the “Ripheted”.

Asked about “One In, One Out Out” on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Down the Road said: “We are very clear about the French plan, that this is the start of a program that is not a silver bullet”.

The scheme, announced in July, is designed to discourage people from crossing the channel and encourage migrants to make claims for asylum on the mainland. Twenty-three people returned to France.

Under the deal, France agreed to take back migrants who had traveled to the UK on a small boat and had their asylum claim rejected.

For each person returned to France, the UK has agreed to accept a person with a refugee protection case who does not attempt to cross the channel.

On Sunday, the home office said 16 people had been removed from France on a single flight, the largest group removal under the scheme yet.

The Iranian man’s return to the UK by boat on Wednesday means the number of attempts to cross the channel this year has now surpassed 2024.

The official count will not be confirmed until Thursday.

The record number of one-year arrivals was 45,755 in 2022, and this year’s average is well behind that.

Home office charts show that nothing falls on six of the last seven days but that 369 made the trip on 18 October.