Newly arrived migrants crossing the English Channel have been met with a “rude awakening” after footage emerged showing a cohort being detained and transferred to immigration removal centres.
The footage, released by the Home Office, shows the first group of asylum seekers landing at Dover Harbour after making the perilous journey across the Channel.
The migrants were then seen being taken to Manston, a large processing facility where biometric data, including fingerprints and DNA, is collected to verify identities and assess any security risks.
GB NEWS
|Mark White said the migrants will receive a rude awakening
Speaking to GB News, Home and Security editor Mark White said: "Normally, they would be sent to a four-star hotel near you, but we think this is near Heathrow Airport, the removal centre at Harmondsworth.
"It certainly looks like that to me. So it’s a bit of a rude awakening for them, thinking they’re off to a four-star hotel or a house of multiple occupation, which has become increasingly common.
"But this cohort, we don’t know the exact numbers but it’s likely to be pretty small, are destined for France, if they can get through the legal hoops, if France accepts them, and of course, if the human rights lawyers and activist groups don’t scupper it all in the courts."
He added: "I can tell you exactly what people smugglers are already saying to their potential customers in northern France: they’re saying that if you get in, there’s a minute chance of you being returned to France, and if you do get returned, they guarantee a free ride back to the UK.
"It does always feel as though the Government is about ten steps behind these people smugglers, whichever government is in power.
"These people smugglers are so agile. They are businesspeople. They know what they’re doing. They’re all over TikTok, while the Government just react too late."
The UK has placed into custody its initial group of Channel crossing migrants under a newly launched agreement with France.
The bilateral pilot programme commenced on Wednesday, marking the first instance where Britain can send migrants back to France within weeks of their arrival.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the detentions, stating: "We have detained the first illegal migrants under our new deal before returning them to France. No gimmicks, just results."
He added: "If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back. When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it."
GB NEWS
|The UK has placed into custody its initial group of Channel crossing migrants under a newly launched agreement with France
The arrangement, established during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit in July, operates through a rapid processing system.
British authorities must submit return requests within 72 hours of a migrant's small boat arrival, with French officials providing their decision within a fortnight.
In return, Britain will accept asylum seekers from France through regulated channels. Adults and families can register their interest via a Home Office digital platform, undergoing suitability assessments, visa procedures and security screenings.
Successful applicants receive three-month UK entry permits to pursue asylum claims or visa applications, though they cannot work, study or claim benefits during this period.