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1,300 Migrants Attempt to Cross English Channel Despite UK Govt’s ‘Deterrent’ Policies

A recent parliamentary report alerted that the number of attempted migrant crossings could reach 60,000 by the end of 2022.

August 25, 2022

Author

Statecraft Staff
1,300 Migrants Attempt to Cross English Channel Despite UK Govt’s ‘Deterrent’ Policies 
More than 6,000 illegal migrations have been reported in the English Channel this month, with most asylum seekers hailing from Syria, Eritrea, Iran, and Iraq.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES

The British Defence Ministry revealed on Tuesday that over 1,295 migrants attempted to cross the English Channel the previous day, breaching the record of 1,185 from November 2021.

27 boats carrying around 50 people each, including children, crossed the English Channel on Monday and arrived at the port of Dover, according to Defence Ministry data. In total, there have been 22,670 attempted crossings so far this year, up 80% from 12,500 last year despite the government’s introduction of new deterrents to illegal migration. In fact, Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed back in August 2020 to make the Channel route “unviable.”

In this respect, in April, the Royal Navy assumed “primacy” for the sea-based response to small boat migration in the Channel. That same month, Patel finalised the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership to relocate asylum seekers to the east African nation.

Britain also tightened its domestic laws to prohibit “illegal entry” through British waters and introduced strict punitive measures under the Nationality and Borders Act (NBA). In fact, the government is even mulling amendments to its human rights law to facilitate easy deportation of asylum seekers deemed to have entered the country illegally.

The UK has also lambasted the French government over its alleged inaction to counter illegal migration through the shared Channel.

Despite these efforts, however, migration figures have continued to rise, with a recent parliamentary report alerting that numbers could reach 60,000 by the end of 2022. Moreover, the dangerous journeys in dinghies have been responsible for over 203 deaths since 2014, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The issue of migration has become a major pressure point for the UK government, particularly since Brexit, which excluded Britain from the European Union arrangement to send asylum seekers to other member nations responsible for their claims.

The UK government claims that its new deterrent policies will address “illegal entry” and “break the business model of criminal trafficking networks” while also “saving lives.”

A government spokesperson has described the surging trend of illegal migration as “unacceptable,” arguing that such journeys are an “overt abuse of UK’s immigration laws.” In this regard, they noted that 38 “evil” people smugglers have been arrested under the NBA so far this year. 

However, smugglers appear undeterred, with reports suggesting that they have in fact expanded their operations and taken advantage of increasingly desperate migrants in the days before the Rwanda deal comes into effect. The Telegraph reported on Wednesday that Albanian gangs are making offers of free minibus rides to migrants on TikTok.

The gangs claim in their adverts that crossing the English Channel has “never been cheaper” and promise “bargain” prices of £5,000 ($5,920) to migrate to the UK from France. One such advert read: “Journey every day. 100 percent secure.”

Patel has denounced these offers and promotions as “unacceptable” and said the government is working to counter the “deceitful online propaganda.” She has also defended the Rwanda Deal as “necessary,” claiming it is designed to “save lives.” 

However, rights groups have criticised the deal for “criminalising people seeking safety.” Amnesty International’s UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, Steve Valdez-Symonds, said the plan gives “false impression that the Channel crossings are some sort of national emergency.” He further claimed that “despite the government’s shameful posturing and draconian refugee policy-making,” those “fleeing war and persecution will continue to make these perilous journeys,” as there are no safe routes available for migrating.

He lambasted British ministers for “coldly blaming desperate people simply for trying to reach safety” and in fact “driving vulnerable people further into the hands of people-smugglers.”

Last month, representatives of asylum seekers revealed that the government was repeatedly cautioned that the deal would be a “total mess” and that there is no “clear evidence” that it would control illegal crossings.

This sentiment has been seconded by Shadow Immigration Minister Stephen Kinnock, who has denounced the Rwanda Deal as an “unworkable and expensive policy” and an “utter failure in tackling criminal smuggler gangs.” He added that the “mere threat of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda” has not deterred crossings, but “we now see that the opposite is in fact happening.”

Lawmakers have instead advocated for improved international coordination and enhanced intelligence-sharing, especially with Britain’s neighbours in Europe, to tackle criminal gangs. With over 6,186 illegal migrations recorded in August 2022 alone, the inflating figures present a major challenge for the UK government.

The Rwanda pact also faces multiple legal hurdles, both domestically and internationally. In fact, in June the European Court of Human Rights even ordered an eleventh-hour grounding of the first flight headed to Kigali.

Author

Statecraft Staff

Editorial Team

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