AN Eritrean migrant who launched a last minute legal bid to block his deportation has been removed from the country.
The man was deported to France this morning under the “one in, one out” deal after losing a High Court bid to have his removal blocked.
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The Home Office has confirmed the Eritrean man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was deported this morning.
Human rights lawyers made an 11th hour application against his removal yesterday afternoon, arguing that he may be a victim of trafficking.
The migrant claimed he had to flee Eritrea due to conscription and was later “stopped and kidnapped and forced to work” in Libya.
The UK’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – which identifies and assesses victims of slavery and trafficking – found there was “no reasonable grounds” to suggest he had been trafficked.
But Sonali Naik KC, the unnamed man’s counsel, said the decision had been “rushed” and there was a “serious issue to be tried” as to whether it was lawful.
She asked for “interim relief” – a temporary block on his removal
High Court judge Mr Justice Sheldon ruled in favour of the Home Office.
He said: “The application for interim relief is refused.
“There’s no serious issue to be tried in this case and the balance of convenience plainly favours the claimant’s removal to France in accordance with the decision made by the Secretary of State.”
The judge ruled that the asylum seeker could make the same trafficking case from France, seeing no reason to delay his deportation.
It comes after the same judge ruled on Tuesday that a Eritrean asylum seeker could temporarily stay in the UK after claiming he had been a victim of forced labour just hours before his flight was due to take off.
The unnamed 25-year-old man also said he had been trafficked in Libya en-route to Britain.
Mr Justice Sheldon granted interim relief after ruling more time was needed to investigate the trafficking claims.
The migrant was invited to make further representations to the NRM.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood vowed to lodge an appeal against the decision, saying “last minute attempts to frustrate removal are intolerable.”
Britain finally managed to boot out the first Channel migrant under the one in, one out pact on Wednesday after three humiliating days where the Home Office failed to remove a single person.
The first person to be deported under the deal, a man from India, was escorted onto an Air France passenger jet at Heathrow and flown to Paris.
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