The British Home Secretary Priti Patel met with her French counterpart on Sunday, July 12 to discuss how the two governments can step up their action against the smuggling of people across the Channel. The number of those attempting to cross has risen this year to "unacceptable" levels, said Patel.
Belgian authorities on Sunday said they rescued 15 migrants from a rubber dinghy that was taking in water 11 kilometers off the Belgian coast. The migrants were attempting to reach the United Kingdom from France.
The British Home Office requires its border police officers in the Calais region of France to fingerprint migrants intercepted trying to cross the English Channel. The aim is to be able to deport them more easily if they manage to reach England.
British authorities say they have recorded a surge in attempted boat crossings in the English Channel this year - a trend that appears to be reinforced by coronavirus travel restrictions forcing migrants on boats rather than trucks. On Wednesday, a Sky News reporter witnessed the rescue of around 65 migrants traveling to UK shores on tiny dinghies. Meanwhile, human rights lawyers are concerned that migrants are being returned from the UK to France illegally.
Will irregular migration to Europe increase again once COVID-19 related travel restrictions are lifted? Europol thinks so. In a new report, the European Union's policing agency also said the coronavirus pandemic is already changing migrant smuggling and trafficking.
French police have arrested an Afghan national following the brutal murder of a prominent activist in northern France who helped migrants. The 63-year-old was bludgeoned to death.
British and French authorities have confirmed that "record numbers" of migrants tried to cross the Channel between the two countries in recent days and that crossings are on the rise partly due to restrictions because of the coronavirus lockdown.
A court in Bruges announced on Wednesday that police had arrested six men "of Middle-Eastern origin" on the suspicion of migrant smuggling. The six were stopped in the Belgian port of Ostend in possession of two inflatable speedboats.
Ninety migrants were picked up by British authorities as part of a large search and rescue operation, according to UK media reports. Most of them were rescued from rubber boats in the waters between France and England.
Eight migrants remain missing after trying to cross from Belgium to the United Kingdom. A total of 14 people are believed to have set out from De Panne but were forced to swim back to shore when their boat capsized. Six of the migrants, who are from Afghanistan and Iran, were taken in custody on Tuesday.
With the United Kingdom poised to leave the European Union on January 31, the number of boat arrivals on the British coastline has dramatically risen in recent months.
British authorities say more than 60 migrants were picked up from five small boats as they tried to enter the country after crossing the English Channel. The vessels were intercepted over a seven hour period Tuesday morning. Some of the migrants said they were Iranian nationals, others said they were Iraqi or Uzbek.