MIn the English channel, the issue on small boats is on track to reach itself This year the highest level, With a record of breaking numbers before the summer peak starts.
More than 21,000 migrants have already crossed the channel from France this year – up to 55 percent from the same period in 2024 – which means that Sir Kir is on track to oversee the highest year for the UK’s migration to the UK.
Well proved last year The most deadly for channel migration, With the death of 73 migrants while crossing, but it appears that the situation is only ready to get worse.
Promised to deal with labor Small boats migrate in its manifestoWith this issue Set to be the front and center On the agenda To travel this week From French President Emmanuel Macron.
On a three -day state visit, Sir Keer is A long -awaited “One in, One Out” is expected to finalize Agreement but it is unlikely to be launched due to opposition from President Macron’s political opponents in other countries of the European Union and France.
Hope to discuss with PM and his French counterpart also Increased enforcement from French Border PoliceLast month, Pictures of French officials were taken Seeing people and escorting people that people rode on smugglers and climbed on migrants going towards Britain. The French police are generally unable to intervene to prevent boats in shallow water.
Defense Secretary John Heli called the scene “very shocking”, considering the lack of action as “really a big problem”.
Last week, BBC captured footage French police used knife to kill a small boat To take migrants in shallow water.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said that “it was not pleasant to see”, pushing to stop people crossing in the UK “action we are supporting”.
Fact on migration of small boats
Some 21,117 migrants have reached the UK on small boats so far this year, the figures of the home office and the border force show. This is a 55 percent increase in the same period last year, when the number was on 13,574 people.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Sir Kir is Demand for a strict immigration enforcement deal With France after an increase in border security efforts.
So far this year, 330 boats have come to the banks of Britain illegally carrying migrants.
And, on average, the number of migrants per boat is increasing, analyzed by analysis Independent Reveals.
The boat is carrying 58 migrants this year, which is much higher than 48 per boat in 2023 last year and 53.
Since the most common forms of the vessel include dingi, kayak and rigorous inflatable boats, these are highly overloaded boats. Capsing risk increased,
How many stops are already stopped by French authorities?
In general, French authorities are not allowed to interfere with water due to the risk of sinking, as long as they believe that there is a danger to the lives of migrants.
There are some speculation that France may declare that the police will be allowed to intervene up to 300 meters (980 ft) from the shore.
Data from French authorities suggest that significant intervention is already happening.
Since May 2024 alone, when the Home Office began publishing this data, French authorities have prevented more than 33,000 migrants from crossing the channel in the UK.
It consists of 21,317 persons who were prevented from crossing from May to December last year, and 12,321 in 2025 so far.
French authorities have also prevented 1,158 “incidents” during this period, such as small boats that have not been allowed to arrest or arrest smugglers.
On average, French authorities have prevented about 2,300 persons from crossing small boats every month, which keeps the prevention rate at about 41.5 percent; Or 4 in 10.
How do smugglers get UK?
Although the migrants of the small boat end on the coasts of England, their journey begins long ago.
There are various routes that people take to travel through Europe and eventually depart from French water.
At least part of a person’s journey Most people involve smuggling – Whether it begins in their native country, when they enter Europe, or once they reach France.
However, this Crossing can be fatal,
Last year, 73 people were trying to cross the channel in small boats.
According to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, it was combined with the last six years.
The deadliest incident was reported in 2021, when a boat killed 27 people, IOM shows data from missing migrants.
Nine people have died this year to try to cross the channel.
How many people are crossing in small boats Get refuge?
Most people arriving in Britain in small boats Proceed to claim asylum,
In fact, according to the analysis of the migration observatory, it makes 1 out of 3 of all asylum applications in 2024.
All these migrants are not given shelter and the result is quite different by the original country.
Overall, 68 percent of small boat migrant applicants are eventually given asylum, according to the migration observatory, higher than the average refuge.
This is about 47,000 examples of refuge given since 2018.
The most potential groups of migrants of small boats to be given refuge in this period are from Syria (97 percent), Irritria (93 percent), Yemen (87 percent), Afghanistan (78 percent) and Iran (71 percent).
But other groups of countries like Albania or Vietnam – which in recent years had two top sources of migrants of small boats – see a low refuge grant rate at 2 percent and 24 percent respectively.
Also, UK A small number of shelter seekers receive as compared to France and the European Union As a whole.
The French Ministry of the interior recorded 157,947 asylum applications in 2024, while in the UK compared to applicants of 108,138 people.
Across the European Union, about one million (996,815) recorded last year was refuge.