Human Rights Groups Challenge UK-France “One in, One Out”

Published: 14 October 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

Fifteen French and UK human rights organisations have launched a legal challenge in France seeking the suspension of the controversial “one in, one out” treaty between the UK and France.

Signed in July, the treaty stipulates that for every asylum seeker arriving in the UK from France in a small boat, one selected in France may enter the UK in return. Those backing the challenge include Utopia 56, Auberge des Migrants, Secours Catholique, and Doctors of the World.

Lionel Crusoé, the French lawyer leading the challenge, said an appeal had been filed with the Council of State against the decree publishing the agreement. “We challenge the readmission measures provided for in this agreement. These measures do not provide sufficient guarantees to take into account the specific situation of exiles. Furthermore, the ‘one-to-one’ approach seems highly questionable and does not sufficiently respect the principle of human dignity,” he said.

He added that the treaty may breach the French constitution, noting that before coming into force, it should have been ratified by parliament. “However, parliament was unable to examine this treaty,” he said.

The challenge comes as 25 asylum seekers returned to France under the treaty, issued a joint statement describing their conditions as “extremely difficult and unsafe.” They reported inadequate housing, limited access to healthcare—including for torture survivors—insufficient food, and separation from family members in the UK.

Twenty-six asylum seekers have been returned to France so far. Many are teenagers or in their early twenties, fleeing conflicts in countries including Eritrea and Iran. Some have been fingerprinted under the Dublin Convention, the EU mechanism that allows asylum seekers to be sent back to a country where they were previously registered. While the UK lost direct access to this system after Brexit, the new treaty provides indirect access.

The asylum seekers’ statement read: “We urgently request your help to ensure our rights are respected and that justice is restored. We ask you to imagine if you were a parent with children – how would you feel if your children were left alone somewhere with no one to care for them? Whatever care and protection you would give them, we ask you to extend the same to us. This is a humble plea based on humanity, and we hope our voices are heard so that support and protection can reach us immediately.”

One asylum seeker described the dangers faced in France, saying: “I don’t even have one euro. I can’t stay here because I was badly attacked by the smugglers. They are so dangerous. They all have guns in their hands. I saw how they beat asylum seekers.” Another added, “I am worried we are going to be sent back to the very countries we fled from. The agreement between the UK and France will go down as a dark chapter in history because it has abandoned us completely. The UK government is making an example of us, and this is very painful and shameful.”

A Home Office spokesperson defended the treaty, stating: “Those arriving in the UK on small boats illegally will now be detained and returned thanks to the deal. We make no apologies for cracking down on illegal migration and securing our borders, and we are ramping up the pilot. We continue to work closely with our French counterparts to ensure the pilot operates effectively.”

Home Office sources added that returned asylum seekers were processed according to French immigration procedures, and that the treaty’s legal basis had been agreed with France and the European Commission to ensure compliance with domestic, European, and international law.