This week according to Watchman More than 1,500 migrants crossed the canal. In total, there are already more than 13,500 this year, which is a record number.
“Britain is a huge magnet for refugees because English is spoken here,” says Britain correspondent Anne Senen. In addition, they often have a family that lives here. This makes it easier for people to find a second home here.”
The shortest way to get there is across the French coast. From there, the migrants leave en masse to the other side in very small inflatable boats. British customs officers are currently being trained on how to prevent them from succeeding in ‘turnaround procedures’. “In practice, that would be more difficult than it sounds,” Says says.
Sometimes there is no choice
“It is not as if the British can turn the boats over. Once they reach British waters, it is already too late. In addition, you must not put lives at risk. If the refugees are in a difficult situation, the Coast Guard has no choice but to take them aboard the ship. “.
The French do not agree with the British minister’s decision. “For her plan to work, the French will have to cooperate. But they just didn’t let this happen,” says France correspondent Evelyn Bilsma.
strong cooperation
France and the UK have been working together for years to stem the flow of migrants. Senen says cooperation between the two countries is not going smoothly. “It’s a yes-no game about who’s responsible for the problem. The British say the French aren’t doing enough to stop them.”
The two recently agreed that France would deploy more border security along the coast. For this, the country received 64 million euros from the British. According to Bilsma, it is almost impossible to stop everyone: “It concerns more than a hundred kilometers of coast. It is difficult to monitor.”
And if they are stopped, they will come back later. “Some immigrants make dozens of attempts, and keep trying until they succeed,” Bilsma says.
“Most of them disappear illegally”
The UK accepts relatively few asylum seekers. “The legal process is long and tedious. It often takes years and they are eventually returned. ‘Most migrants disappear in an irregular situation,'” says Senin.
And, according to Belsma, not only the French will receive them. “After all, refugees do not apply for asylum here, they are only here to get to the other side. And if the French take them, more people will come.”
