What happens to migrants crossing the English Channel?
RISING numbers of migrants are trying to cross the English Channel in dinghies and other small boats.
They are making the perilous journey for a better life in the UK. Here’s all the details…
How many people are trying to cross the English Channel?
The number of migrants to complete the English Channel crossing in 2021 has already surpassed 12,500 – compared to the record yearly figure of 8,410 in 2020.
At least 1000 migrants crossed the English Channel on September 7 2021 – the largest number ever for a single day since the crisis began.
Migrants told The Sun that they believed the risk of dying on a small boat was worth it if they were to achieve their aim of reaching Britain – which some labelled “heaven”.
This comes despite Priti Patel‘s vow in May 2021 she would “slam the door on dangerous criminals” with a fierce border crackdown.
The Home Secretary has reportedly sanctioned new tactics to redirect migrant boats in the Channel back to France as negotiations over crossings begin.
She has ordered officials to rewrite maritime laws to allow Border Forces to turn boats around, leaving them to be dealt with by the French authorities.
This comes after a G7 interior minister’s meeting on September 8, when Ms Patel told France that the British public “expect to see results”.
Ms Patel announced sweeping plans for a “fully digital border” by 2025 to make it easier to weed out convicts.
She also pledged to fix the UK’s “broken” immigration system – and took aim at migrants who “abuse our generous spirit”.
Speaking to the Bright Blue think tank, the Home Secretary said the public “want a new system that works for the law-abiding majority and against those who hope to abuse our hospitality and generous spirit”.
She pledged to create the “world’s most effective border system” that “welcomes those most in need of sanctuary – but one that slams the door on dangerous criminals”.
The actual number of people attempting the crossing is higher, but some boats are intercepted by the French authorities before they reach British waters.
Unscrupulous smugglers often charge thousands for a spot on a small dinghy before being shoved out in the direction of Dover.
Why has there been an increase in recent weeks?
A combination of hot weather and calm sea conditions are thought to be behind the current rise in migrant crossings in the Channel.
Dan O’Mahoney, clandestine channel threat commander, told the BBC: “There is an unacceptable rise in dangerous small boat crossings across the channel because of a surge in illegal migration across Europe.
“People should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach and not risk their lives making these dangerous crossings.
“We are continuing to pursue the criminals behind these illegal crossings.”
How many migrants arrive in the UK each year?
In 2019, some 677,000 people moved to the UK as long-term immigrants, for reasons such as work or study.
There were also 49,000 asylum applications, BBC News reports.
That figure is about a third of the number in France – and 1 per cent of the total number of refugees marooned in Turkey following the war in Syria.
Pro-migrant charities accuse the government of over-reacting to the crossings for political gain, when the numbers are tiny compared with the flow of migrants routinely arriving in Mediterranean countries like Greece and Italy.
Where do the migrants come from?
Many of the migrants come from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and countries in Africa, fleeing poverty, persecution or war.
Arrivals have included entire families from Yemen, Eritrea, Chad, Egypt, Sudan and Iraq.
Some stand a chance of being granted asylum, while others, considered illegal economic migrants, are unlikely to be granted the right to remain in Britain.
Why are migrants crossing the English Channel?
Migrants are crossing the English Channel to escape from their countries which are enraged by war, poverty or political instability.
Organised crime gangs have profited from smuggling people from Asia and Africa across Europe over the last 20 years.
In the case of refugees, it is very difficult to apply for asylum to the UK unless you are already in the country.
Mohammed Yousef, 34, who has been in the camp for several weeks after arriving from Sudan, said: “I’ve already risked so much and been through so much danger to get here.
“It’s all to get to the UK. It’s a brilliant place. We all want to enter the UK.”
Mohammed Ahmed, 36, worked as a mechanical engineer in Sudan and is hoping to carry out the same role in Britain.
What happens to them when they arrive in the UK?
When they arrive in the UK, migrants are usually taken by the UK Border Force to short-term holding centres.
Experts say the majority of those crossing the Channel seem to have “strong” claims to asylum, with many coming from Iran, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
If a migrant makes an asylum claim and has no money, they might be placed in accommodation somewhere in the UK.
The Home Office pays for the claim while the application is considered.
Other migrants might be kept in detention ahead of a plan to be sent back to mainland Europe.
How many migrants are sent back?
Since January 2019 at least 5,800 people have entered the UK on small boats and about 155 migrants have been returned to mainland Europe.
In 2020, more than 36,000 people, including dependents, applied for asylum in the UK although not everyone who applied will have come to the UK on a boat via the Channel.
The Home Office blamed current regulations – which determine where an asylum-seeker’s claim is heard – for the comparatively low number of people to have been returned to Europe.
Officials have asked Europe to receive almost 600 migrants or more.
What is the government doing about the crossings?
Priti Patel has reportedly sanctioned new tactics to redirect migrant boats in the Channel back to France as negotiations over crossings begin.
The Home Secretary has ordered officials to rewrite maritime laws to allow Border Forces to turn boats around, leaving them to be dealt with by the French authorities.
This comes after a G7 interior minister’s meeting on September 8, when Ms Patel told France that the British public “expect to see results”.
In May 2021 Ms Patel vowed to “slam the door on dangerous criminals” with a fierce border crackdown.
The Home Secretary announced sweeping plans for a “fully digital border” by 2025 to make it easier to weed out convicts.
She also pledged to fix the UK’s “broken” immigration system – and took aim at migrants who “abuse our hospitality and generous spirit”.
Ms Patel promised to pursue “digital by default” strategy so the Government can count the amount of people coming to Britain.
Arrivals without a visa will be forced to apply for a US-style Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) so their criminal record can be checked.
But Ms Patel also said the e-border would make it easier for talented internationals to immigrate here under the post-Brexit points-based system.
She said public confidence in immigration had been “shot to pieces” and that frustration led to the 2016 Brexit vote and the 2019 Tory landslide – which she wielded as a mandate for “wholesale reform”.
Ms Patel also used the speech to put foreign criminal gangs on notice the Government is “coming after them”.
The Home Secretary said her “hands will no longer be tied” by red tape making it tricky for her to deport illegal gangsters.
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She fumed: “Allowing these repugnant gangs to continue to line their pockets is morally wrong and against our national interest… and we are coming after these gangs.”
She also reiterated previous plans to hand more powers to border controls to stop migrants making perilous Channel crossings in small boats.
Plans to tighten laws to deny refugee status to any asylum seekers who have passed through a safe country before reaching the UK were unveiled at the Queen’s Speech.
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