Twenty-eight British and French charities and campaign groups including Rainbow Migration in London, have issued a joint demand to four airlines, calling on them to cease their involvement in a controversial UK-France deportation agreement. The coalition, coordinated by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), has written to Air France, Titan Airways, AlbaStar Airlines and Corendon Airlines.
The letters urge the carriers to stop facilitating flights under the so-called ‘one in, one out’ scheme, which the groups describe as cruel, inhumane and racist. The agreement, which became operational in August 2025, allows for one asylum seeker to travel legally from France to the UK in exchange for the forced return of another person who arrived in the UK via a small boat.
The charities argue that the airlines are complicit in deporting people who came to the UK seeking safety from war and persecution. Testimonies from those affected, including a Syrian man quoted in a Guardian report, describe detention conditions as prison-like. “We are locked up but we have done nothing wrong. The Home Office tell us we are criminals because we arrived here in a small boat but we are not,” he said.
Reports of violence during the deportation process have also emerged. Individuals, including those with histories of torture or mental health conditions, have reported the use of force, restraints, or segregation during detention or removal attempts. A peaceful protest last month ahead of a deportation flight, which proceeded, reportedly led to the Home Office and its contractors deploying riot officers, dogs, and teargas.
United Nations experts have cautioned that the scheme could breach international human rights laws. Griff Ferris, a spokesperson for JCWI, condemned the policy. “This deportation scheme is a sick and dehumanising way to treat people who came here to seek safety from war and persecution,” he said. “These are people with hopes, dreams and loved ones, who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”
The full letters and a list of all signatory organisations are available on the JCWI website.
