British Home Secretary Priti Patel confirmed that the United Kingdom (UK) will deploy the Royal Navy to restrict illegal migrant crossings across the English Channel. Officially called “Operation Red Meat,” the move has attracted criticism from several members of opposition, along with activists who believe the decision to be illegal.
While speaking about the decision at the House of Commons, Patel lauded the Ministry of Defence as a “crucial operational partner” for cracking down on the rising number of illegal migrations across the English Channel. However, she said that the details of the forces’ involvement would be announced later.
Meanwhile, according to Euronews, the Ministry of Defence said that it would focus on making the system “effective and efficient,” and would also focus on ensuring that the migrants don’t drown while crossing the Channel.
British media houses named by Al Jazeera reported that the Ministry of Defence will command the British Border Force Agency in the coming weeks. This will shift the responsibility from the Home Office department, which was previously in charge of commanding the Border Force.
Furthermore, The Times said that the aim of Operation Red Meat was to ensure that “vessels cannot land on UK shores illegally.” The government also intends to send asylum-seekers to Ghana and Rwanda while their applications for resettlement are being processed.
However, sources from the Royal Navy quoted by The Guardian expressed their discontent with the decision and that the officers would not pursue Patel’s “pushback policy” as it was against their ethics. Instead, the source clarified that they would aim to safeguard those making the journey and reduce the deaths caused by drowning.
The decision comes as calls for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation have become increasingly popular. Cracking down on migrant crossings could provide him with the populist support needed to cruise over the various scandals related to his ministers’ violation of COVID-19 lockdown protocols in 2020.
However, opposition leaders have accused Johnson of using this as a distraction. Shadow Home Secretary of the opposition Labour Party, Yvette Cooper, said that the PM was merely “chasing headlines to distract from the total mess he is in.” She also said that the government’s failure to work with France and tackle the issue has resulted in its escalation over the years.
Similarly, several human rights activists have also criticised the decision. Enver Solomon, the Refugee Council chief – a British charitable organisation – said that the decision was “cruel and inhumane.” “It’s a desperate move by a government that isn’t able to find solutions that will ensure an orderly, manageable and fair asylum system,” he added.
The decision to use military forces to control illegal migration comes just a few weeks after an incident in the Channel led to the death of 27 people, making it one of the worst disasters involving migrants in the English Channel. Furthermore, in 2021 alone, around 28,431migrants attempted to cross the Channel, which is a three-fold rise compared to the same figure in 2020.