UK starts returning migrants to France to 'deter' Channel boat crossings

Government agrees to pay £6m for new security equipment on French coast

The UK has started returning migrants who crossed the Channel to France in a bid to deter future attempts.

Sajid Javid announced the move as part of an agreement that will see the UK pay £6m for security equipment including drones and video surveillance along the French coast.

The Home Office said a small number of migrants who travelled to Kent in boats at the end of last year were returned to France on Thursday morning.

“There will be a mutual commitment to conduct return operations as quickly as possible under the Dublin Regulation,” the Home Office said.

“The UK will continue to work closely with France and other countries to return more migrants who have entered the UK by small boat, in order to provide a strong deterrent against the dangerous crossings.”

The Independent understands that the returns policy has been backdated to 1 October, meaning it will apply to hundreds of men, women and children.

Even if they have already applied for asylum in Britain, the government will seek to transfer responsibility to France, but could face legal challenges.

Mr Javid was previously condemned for suggesting that officials would hamper claims made by those reaching British shores, who had mostly given their nationality as Iranian.

He suggested those attempting the journey might not be genuine asylum seekers and said: “We will do everything we can to make sure that you are often not successful.“

Critics called the remarks disgusting and said any attempt to interfere with asylum applications or pre-judge the outcome would be unlawful.

French authorities said 71 attempted boat crossings were recorded in 2018, compared to just 12 the previous year.

Of the 504 migrants seeking to cross the English Channel, 276 managed to reach British waters and coastlines and 228 were intercepted and taken back to France.

More than 80 per cent of launches came in November and December alone, with the influx declared a major incident by the home secretary.

On Tuesday, Mr Javid met his French counterpart to finalise a joint action plan to stem the crossings, which will see the UK hand France £6m for new security equipment.

The Home Office said it would fund additional surveillance and security on French beaches and ports, as well as greater coordination between the French authorities on land and at sea.

Just over half of the investment will come from £44.5m already pledged under the Sandhurst Treaty, which was agreed a year ago, by Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron.

An additional £3.2m of new funding will be used for equipment including drones, radar, night goggles and number plate recognition capability for UK and French border and maritime teams to spot smugglers.

Additional security cameras would be placed at French ports and in areas where migrants could attempt to launch boats, the Home Office said, feeding live footage into the UK-France Coordination and Information Centre in Calais.

There would be increased surveillance of the Channel from air and sea, with UK and French authorities sharing intelligence, as well as foot patrols along the French coast

“Both governments have made clear that all criminals will be prosecuted,” the Home Office said. “The new plan will come into force immediately.”

Asylum seekers in Dunkirk (Adrian Abbott/Help Refugees)

The agreement also stated that migrants encountered in the Channel would be taken to the nearest safe port, in accordance with international maritime law.

Mr Javid said: “It is vital we continue to work closely with our French partners to stop vulnerable migrants making these treacherous crossings and tackle the people smugglers who are putting their lives in danger.

“Today’s joint action plan strengthens our already strong relationship and increases joint action around keeping both our borders secure and discouraging these dangerous journeys.”

Christophe Castaner, the French interior minister, praised the UK’s commitment to managing the shared border.

“By combating illegal channel crossings by migrants, we’re saving lives and deterring new migrants from coming to Hauts-de-France,” he said.

The British government previously deployed another Royal Navy ship to bolster patrols by the Border Force and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has arrested suspects for allegedly arranging some of the crossings but said that while some recent launches involved criminal groups, others were opportunistic.

Investigators believe that increased port security in France and unseasonably calm weather and sea conditions in December could have been a factor behind the influx.

Despite the high-profile closure of the “jungle” in Calais, migrants have remained at informal camps along the northern French coast and smugglers continue to open new routes across Europe from arrival points in Italy, Greece and Spain.

Charities in northern France warned that the number of families sleeping rough in Dunkirk had risen sharply over the summer, with dozens more people arriving with their children.

Police have carried large-scale evictions, ordering people onto buses to be taken to accommodation centres in nearby towns.

But charities said a lack of support and information for claiming asylum once they arrive in the centres meant families were returning to the woods within weeks or even days.

Last month Josh Hallam, field manager for Help Refugees, told The Independent that the sheer desperation of refugees in the winter months led to a growing number taking huge risks to cross the Channel, an issue exacerbated by people smugglers who charge anything from £3,000 to £10,000 for a place in the back of a lorry or on a boat.

“There’s a lack of appropriate and authoritative information for governments and actual bodies that could bust these myths about the situation and help people access legal routes of travel,” he said. “The vacuum is filled by people who are really exploitative and dangerous.”