Britain Returns One Asylum Seeker to Ireland Since 2020 Deal
A Sudanese migrant charged with attempted murder in Belfast entered Britain after crossing from Ireland and received leave to remain under a fast-track scheme. The 2020 returns agreement has produced one removal in either direction.
thehindu.comBritain has returned one asylum seeker to Ireland since a 2020 post-Brexit deal took effect. The informal agreement allows transfers of asylum seekers between the two countries but contains no legal obligation to act. Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese national, crossed the border from Dublin into Belfast in 2023.
He completed a 10-page Home Office questionnaire under a streamlined scheme introduced by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and was granted leave to remain. Alodid appeared in court this week charged with attempted murder after an attack on Monday night. The Common Travel Area maintains a 310-mile land border with no routine passport or immigration checks.
A National Crime Agency assessment stated that organised crime groups systematically exploit the arrangement. 5 per cent of the UK total. Under the 2020 deal, Britain has removed one migrant from Northern Ireland to Ireland.
No migrants have been returned from Ireland to Britain. The agreement was paused briefly in 2024 after Ireland said it would introduce emergency legislation to address flows linked to Britain’s proposed Rwanda deportation plan.
The Belfast incidents occurred during a second night of riots in which 16 people were arrested and 12 police officers were injured. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn confirmed the rioting this morning. In November, North Antrim MP Jim Allister warned that migrants could cross the open border and gain protection from deportation under the Windsor Framework.
