An Iranian man who returned to the UK on a small boat after being sent back to France under the “one in, one out” scheme is facing his second removal on Wednesday despite mounting concerns about his vulnerability.
He is being held in a UK immigration detention centre and receiving hourly welfare checks by staff because of concerns about his mental health. He claims to be a victim of modern slavery at the hands of smugglers in northern France.
“If I thought France was a safe place for me I would never have come to the UK,” the man said. He is appealing for another safe country to grant him sanctuary, because of the UK’s plan to remove him imminently.
“I believe the UK is a safe place for me, away from the smugglers in France. I cannot go back there because it is dangerous to me. Only my body can go back there, not me. I am a human being and my life will be finished there. I think the UK forgot about humans,” the man said.
“The UK has closed the door on me and I am appealing for another safe country far from the smugglers such as Canada to grant me protection.”
He had previously said: “The smugglers are very dangerous. They always carry weapons and knives. I fell into the trap of a human trafficking network in the forests of France before I crossed to the UK from France the first time.
“They took me like a worthless object, forced me to work, abused me, and threatened me with a gun and told me I would be killed if I made the slightest protest.”
The man arrived in the UK for the first time on 6 August and was returned to France on 19 September. He then came back to the UK on a small boat on 18 October and claimed asylum. Although trafficking indicators were raised, the Home Office made a readmission request to France for him on 21 October, which was accepted on 24 October. His trafficking claim was referred to the ”national referral mechanism” for consideration but was rejected on 27 October.
His lawyers raised concerns with Home Office officials about him, stating in documents: “We are of the view that his health is rapidly deteriorating and that he requires urgent assessment and sustained support.”
Requests from his lawyers for a time extension before removing him – in order to obtain expert evidence relating to the man’s case in relation to scarring as a result of torture and trafficking – were rejected by the Home Office.
He has been given an appointment for assessment for what is known as rule 35, which assesses concerns about vulnerabilities of immigration detainees. But the appointment is for 6 November, the day after his planned removal from UK.
According to the documents, Home Office officials acknowledge that while asylum seekers can access public mental health care in France “capacity and language barriers can hinder access in practice”. They add: “Adequate steps will be taken in the UK to forestall any suicide attempt.”
Maddie Harris, founder and director of Humans For Rights Network who is supporting the Iranian asylum seeker and some of those returned to France under the scheme, said: “We remain acutely concerned for the welfare of this man. His ongoing detention and threat of removal is causing him immense distress, he should urgently be released and the threat of removal cancelled to avoid further acute harm.
“We also remain concerned for the welfare of those removed to France over recent weeks; many are living under the threat of onward removal to countries where they experienced abuse such as Spain and Poland, moved from place to place, with no access to information or support and certainly no access to safety.”
Last year, 36,816 people arrived in the UK via small boats, while as of 22 October the figure for 2025 stood at 36,886 – 70 more than last year with two months to go. There has been an 11-day period without crossings because of poor weather conditions.
The Home Office and the French interior ministry have been approached for comment.
