Tuesday, January 2 saw the first small boat crossing of 2023 when 44 migrants were picked up by the UK’s Border Force and taken to Dover. French authorities say another two boats carrying 80 migrants got into difficulty in the Channel on Monday and were returned to Calais, in France.
In 2022, a record 45,756 people successfully made the crossing – the highest number since records began in 2018 and which represents a 60% increase on the figure for 2021.
The government has announced a series of measures in the past 12 months to tackle the issue of migrants in small boats making the perilous journey across the English Channel.
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Last April, the Home Office launched a five-year trial to send some asylum seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda on a one-way ticket, to claim asylum there. However the policy, which was ruled to be lawful by the High Court in December, is likely to be hampered by further legal challenges.
Another measure was an agreement struck in November that will see the UK pay France £8m more a year under a revised deal to try to stop people crossing the Channel in small boats.
Under the plan, the UK will pay for increased surveillance of French beaches, while British officers will be allowed to observe command centres on French soil, to share information and help direct resources.
An ongoing problem with no easy solution in sight.
Image Credits: Dietlind Löffler .