France and the United Kingdom are expected to come to an agreement to crack down on migrants fleeing to the U.K. via the English Channel, which Britain has complained about for years.
Over 20,000 boats crossed the channel in migration attempts in the first six months of the year, according to the U.K. government, which is now requesting and partially funding France’s initiative to halt small boats used by migrants to travel to Britain. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are meeting at a summit this week to finalize a deal to block small boats from traveling through the English Channel.
One detail expected to be discussed at the summit is a “one-in, one-out” plan, which would allow one small boat to be returned to France in exchange for Britain taking in one asylum-seeker with ties to the country.
Ahead of the agreement, the Associated Press reported that French police began slashing the rubber inflatable boats to stop migrants from traveling through the channel. France is also considering extending how deep its coast guard can go to track down small boats, currently 980 feet, according to French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. The restriction is in place because of the risk of drowning for both migrants and officers beyond it.
Refugee Council CEO Enver Solomon told the BBC that there has been an increase in deaths in the channel as migrants are taking more risks, due to the crackdown.
“The current enforcement-heavy strategy has clearly led to smuggling gangs taking greater risks, resulting in rising numbers of deaths in the channel,” Solomon said.
Britain is still receiving legal immigrants seeking family reunions. Negotiations between the two countries to return immigrants who have already arrived in Dover, England, have also started taking place.
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There are many risks associated with migration through the channel and confrontations with the police. The French Interior Ministry said those on the overloaded boats have a higher chance of being caught in the propeller, especially when trying to climb aboard one that is already crowded. Some migrants have put themselves directly between the boats and the police, who had pepper spray and were armed with knives. Other migrants were thrown off board during the slashing.
Some migrants leave France for the U.K. because of Britain’s asylum process, which differs from France’s and is seen as more favorable. Some hold economic expectations of what may await them in the U.K. Britain, a former colonizing country, also has large cultural ties to many areas. Many people from around the world have ties to Britain in their roots.
French police have been using drones and aircraft to aid their 24/7 patrol of the coast of Écault beach, where they are stationed, watching from World War II Nazi gun posts. Due to razor wire and other barriers in the water, migrants are picked up at offshore locations.