France To Toughen Action To Halt UK-Bound Channel Migrants: Official

LILLE, France: France will soon begin stopping sea boats carrying migrants across the Channel to southern England, local officials said on Friday; this was a major change in strategy following pressure from the UK.

Almost 40,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats since the beginning of the year; This influx of immigrants has brought Britain’s centre-left Labor government under pressure from the far right.

French security forces have stepped up coastal patrols to catch migrants on the beach, but Paris has so far been wary of stopping small boats at sea because of the risks to passengers.

France will soon begin “control and intervention operations” targeting small boats at sea, France’s Channel and North Sea maritime authority (PREMAR) told AFP, confirming a report in Le Monde newspaper.

The aim was to take action before passengers boarded the boats to avoid endangering their lives, a spokesman for the maritime province told AFP.

In a new tactic used in recent years, human smugglers send boats to pick up migrants directly from the sea to evade French coastal patrols.

Migrants often pay smugglers thousands of euros per person for passage.

After rights groups were alarmed by media reports about the possibility of using nets to stop boats, the governor’s office added: “Using nets to stop small boats is not being considered at this stage.”

At least 27 migrants have died trying to cross the border this year, according to an AFP count based on official data.

More than 39,000 people have reached British shores by small boats since January 1, according to British government data.

That’s more than the total for all of 2024, but less than 2022, which was a record year with 45,000 successful crossings.