Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Diane Taylor

‘No safe place to go’: people sent back to France under ‘one in, one out’ deal tell of desperation

Design composite of three pictures showing different asylum seekers. Two men have their backs to the camera and a woman is covering her face with her hands
The group’s stories are a stark illustration of how the theories of deterrence can collide with the desperate logic of survival. Composite: Julien Daniel/MYOP/The Guardian / Guardian Design

Afran, an Iranian asylum seeker, sits forlornly across the road from a Paris shelter, hemmed in between vast slabs of concrete and thundering trains above. He has been here before – seven weeks ago, to be precise. The second time, he says, is as terrifying as his first.

Afran – not his real name – hit the headlines when he became the first asylum seeker to return to the UK in a small boat after being removed to France under the controversial “one in, one out” scheme on 19 September. He was sent back to Paris for the second time on 5 November.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.