Georgia Balmer
Calls for UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to find a workable solution for the rising number of migrant crossings have increased in the wake of record breaking daily crossings on Monday.
On July 20th, 430 people crossed the Dover Strait, raising the yearly total so far to at least 8,452, according to PA Media. The number has now surpassed the total crossings for all of 2020, reflecting the growing flow of migrants successfully entering Europe through the Mediterranean. The UN high commissioner for refugees puts the official number at 44,230 migrants so far this year, of which a significant proportion has sought asylum in the UK.
On Tuesday, Patel reached a new agreement with French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, in the hope of collaborating with French border control on suppressing the flow of migrants. The £55 million bill will see double the amount of French police dedicated to border control, an increase in the length of the coast line monitored, and sustained investment in intelligence.
Concerns
Concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of this new agreement. Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont commented that it “would not have an impact as the French coastline is too big”.
A similar deal was reached in November 2020, with Patel committing £26 million and the French authorities reporting a success in the doubling of crossings prevented. The persistent increase in crossings, despite this success, is not helping to quell sceptics’ concerns.
“Amnesty International’s Steve Valdez-Symonds condemned the bill for being an “extremely reckless and dangerous response”.
Supplementing this deal’s efforts is the proposed Nationality and Borders Bill, currently being debated by MPs against a backdrop of unmanageable migrant numbers.
Nationality and Borders Bill
The bill proposes to criminalise anyone who “knowingly facilitates” migrant crossings, including refugee charities and emergency services. Individuals completing the crossing could face up to four years in prison, or potential deportation to a “safe third country”.
“Enver Solomon critiqued the bill as the government’s attempt to “arrest and prosecute its way out of the problem”
Refugee Action has labelled the proposed bill as “extreme and nasty”, whilst Amnesty International’s Steve Valdez-Symonds condemned the bill for being an “extremely reckless and dangerous response”. Valdez-Symonds continued to say that the response would force refugees to bypass authorities, making them more vulnerable to the exploitation of criminal gangs, traffickers and enslavement.
Enver Solomon critiqued the bill as the government’s attempt to “arrest and prosecute its way out of the problem”, with David Aaronovitch commenting that the aims are “clearly unachievable”.
France
French authorities have consistently proven unwilling to receive returned migrants, whilst the official French position “is they are not prepared to intervene on the high seas, only on land”, according to former Border Force Chief, Tony Smith. It is unlikely that France will be one of the “safe third countries”.
“The crisis has simply moved from land to sea.”
Whilst crossings via sea have increased, there has been a marked decrease in land crossings. Efforts to make train, lorry and car crossings “risky” and unattainable show success, as smugglers have been forced to complete the more dangerous sea journey. The crisis has simply moved from land to sea.
Aaronovitch compared the migrant crisis to the ‘war on drugs’, stating, “It will always go on as long as people wish to escape misery and there is no legal alternative.” He continued to suggest that “increasing the size of our legal resettlement programme to undercut the criminal networks” would be the most effective method to combat the migrant crisis, a plan he is sceptical the government will want to enforce.
The recent spike in numbers can be accredited to unusually calm weather, which has been “particularly good with flat seas over the last few days.” The current crisis has not been caused by a few days of good weather, however.
Critics are sceptical of the efficiency of Patel’s proposed bill and new deal with the French authorities, with signs pointing to a busy summer for British Border control and refugee charities.
Featured image courtesy of Stefan-Daniel Petcu on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
