Fresh alert issued in Channel migrant crisis – ‘open season’ | Politics | News

Plans to stop Channel migrant boats have been thrown into chaos after the French government was told to rewrite the rules given to civil servants.

Human rights watchdog Claire Hedon, Defender of Rights in Paris, told gendarmes to stop using rubber bullets and tear gas to prevent asylum seekers from boarding boats bound for the UK.

Home Affairs Minister Laurent Nunez has been “invited” to overhaul the rules and training given to officers on the Channel coastline, the Daily Express has revealed. This could undermine plans to stop migrant boats at sea, as the organization is extremely influential.

The Rights Defender told the Express: “In the practice of security forces, a doctrine of use is defined at the highest level (in this case, the Minister of Internal Affairs is personally invited to define the guidelines) and expressed through circulars, memos, instructions to agents and is accompanied by appropriate training so that agents can adopt it and put it into practice in the field.

“The purpose of the doctrine is to define precisely, concretely and comprehensively all the methods of intervention carried out by agents in a given context: the designation of targets, the framework for the use of weapons, the methods for implementing the reporting obligation, the role of the intermediate hierarchy, the nature of the equipment… and others…

“This doctrine helps inform the practices of agents in the field; it is intended to guide them.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Express: “This shows that the French Government is even weaker. Most illegal immigrants already pass through here and if these proposals are implemented it will be open season for illegal immigrants and the people smugglers they pay.”

“An influx of illegal immigrants, mainly young men, will cross the channel. The only way to stop these crossings is to leave the ECHR, which will ensure that every illegal immigrant is deported within a week of their arrival. Then they will soon stop trying.”

French officers were anxious to intercept immigrants due to concerns about inadequate training.

But last Saturday they intercepted a boat amid fears about the success of so-called taxi boats.

Claire Hédon, Rights Defender in Paris, claimed the use of armed force ‘endangered people’ and led to deaths and serious injuries among migrants.

Ms Hédon wrote: “Given the danger of passage, the aim of preventing departures is understandable and law enforcement plays a protective role, but this cannot be done at any cost.”

Its report, dated 17 December 2025, condemned the use of ‘rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades’ against groups of migrants, including children.

The Rights Defender recommends “prohibiting the use” of such weapons “in cases where the sole purpose of security forces is to prevent people from boarding the boat.”

Ms. Hédon continues: “The use of medium-force weapons puts people in danger.”