The so called ‘Hokey Cokey’ small boat migrant is still in the UK, two weeks after arriving back across the Channel from France.
GB News can reveal that the Iranian national, who was one of the first to be sent back to France as part of the migrant returns deal, is still being held in an immigration removal centre.
The illegal migrant arrived here on a dinghy on August 6 and was immediately detained under the new scheme.
He was deported back to France on September 19.
But just 29 days later, he paid for a place on another migrant dinghy and arrived back in Britain.
The news is deeply embarrassing for the Government, which said it was “working to expedite his removal.”
It comes as the Home Office revealed this morning that just 75 illegal migrants have been returned to France since the returns scheme became operational on August 5.
In the almost three months since the start of the Government’s key Anglo-French deal, more than 11,000 migrants have made the illegal journey across the Channel and into the UK.
A group of migrants walk through the water to reach an inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel | REUTERS
The Home Office has also confirmed that, as part of the deal, the UK has now accepted 51 migrants from France.
Officials say those migrants have “undergone full documentation, security and eligibility checks.”
It is unclear what is taking officials so long to remove the Iranian man.
On arrival back into the UK, human rights activists claimed he was the victim of”Modern Slavery” and feared for his life if he was returned to France.
Migrant crisis: Three migrants die trying to cross the Channel overnight just hours after another death in UK waters | PA
It is likely that human rights lawyers have intervened to challenge any attempts to remove the migrant.
Commenting on the wider returns scheme, a Home Office spokesperson said: “For many years, illegal migrants entered our country with no consequence.
“These returns send a warning to those considering entering this country illegally: if you come here by small boat, you can be sent back.
“We are scaling up these removals to France and will do whatever it takes to secure our borders.”