UK and France sign deal to curb English Channel migrant crossings
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- The U.K. and France signed a three-year multimillion-euro deal to reduce migrant crossings of the English Channel, involving increased police patrols, surveillance, and new technologies in northern France.
- The U.K. will provide £500 million initially, with an additional £160 million contingent on the success of the measures, aiming to boost officers on the ground and create a dedicated police unit against irregular migration.
- Enhanced surveillance will target "taxi boats," small motorized vessels used by smugglers to pick up migrants, with drones, helicopters, and electronic monitoring deployed to prevent crossings.
- Despite a 36% drop in crossings so far this year, critics argue the deal fails to address root causes and may increase risks for migrants, as intensified policing has led to more dangerous smuggling tactics and fatalities.
- The deal builds on previous agreements but faces scrutiny amid ongoing migrant deaths and concerns from refugee groups that policing alone cannot resolve the crisis.
