The United Kingdom and France signed a new agreement today in Paris to strengthen cooperation in an effort to curb illegal immigration across the English Channel, which has hit a new record this year.
The agreement signed by the two countries’ interior ministers, Suella Braverman and Gérald Darmanin, expands and expands on an earlier agreement and provides for more maritime patrols and the provision of more technical resources as part of a better bilateral cooperation to increase the number of crossings across the English Channel.
On Sunday, the British government confirmed that more than 40,000 migrants have made the perilous journey across the English Channel on makeshift boats from France to the UK this year, a new record compared to 28,526 crossings in 2021.
According to London, most of them are Albanians, Iranians and Afghans.
According to a statement from the British Home Office, the number of French patrols will increase by 40%, including British specialist agents for the first time.
This new multi-year deal sees the UK paying up to €72.2 million in 2022/2023 to strengthen port security, investments in surveillance technology, drones, dog teams, video surveillance and helicopters to help detect and prevent crossings.
Since 2020, cooperation between the two countries has led to the dismantling of 55 human trafficking groups and 500 arrests, of which 140 have been tried and convicted of human trafficking.
The Ministry of the Interior also states that more than 30,000 crossing attempts have been prevented since the beginning of the year, an increase of more than 50% compared to last year.
“We must do everything we can to prevent people from making these dangerous journeys and to dismantle criminal groups. This is a global problem that requires global solutions and it is in the interest of the UK and French governments to work together to address this complex problem.” said UK Secretary of State Suella Braverman.
Source: DN
