We have been warning about the dangerous situation at the border for years
protested Charlotte Kwantes, head of Utopia56, an association that works with migrants in Calais. However, in recent months, the risk thata major shipwreck occurs, was accentuated again. The Channel crossings have never been so numerous. Less than a week ago, on the night of November 19 to 20, 2021, 243 migrants trying to reach England, had been rescued and deposited in the ports of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Dunkirk and Calais. On November 11, 2021, 1,185 migrants had reached the English coast: a record. And since the start of the year, more than 31,500 migrants have tried to cross the Channel (compared to 9,500 in 2020); 7,800 had to be rescued.
In previous years, the French authorities were used to seeing these attempts decrease from the fall, when the weather conditions deteriorate. This was not the case at all
this year, can only note Philippe Dutrieux, the maritime prefect of the Channel and the North Sea, with theAFP. Despite the seasonal deterioration of weather conditions, as soon as they become favorable again, migrants try to cross
, noted the maritime prefecture in its summary of the situation in October. And to add premonitiously: If the departures continue, it is to be feared that the migrants will find themselves in much more delicate situations, the drop in temperatures having a very negative effect on the survival times of any castaways.
Access to England hardened
However, how can we explain that these crossings keep increasing? First, the general context. In June, the United Nations recalled that the number of people displaced, due to wars or crises, had never been greater: 82.4 million people around the world. Twice as many as ten years ago.
On the other hand, Brexit was not without consequences either. He put an end to the so-called Dublin regulation which allowed unaccompanied minors to join relatives in England or a wife to find her husband there. These people no longer have this possibility and the British have tightened their conditions to legally enter their territory, their only alternative now is to board a boat.
, deplores Lucie Bichet, legal coordinator of the Safe Passage association. And this one to add: The best way to avoid such tragedies is to open legal channels to allow these people to apply for asylum in the United Kingdom.
. However, currently, a controversial British bill provides for treating asylum seekers differently depending on whether they have arrived legally or illegally on English soil …
Last week, a network of smugglers made up of Iraqi-Kurds, Romanians, Pakistanis and Vietnamese, was dismantled. They went to look for migrants in the camp of Grande-Synthe (North) to take them across the Channel, for a sum of € 6,000 per person…
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