The boats have to cover a journey of at least 33 kilometers from Calais in France to Dover in Britain. About 8,500 migrants made the crossing this year, already more than last year. Some are picked up by the British Coast Guard, others manage to reach the beach themselves.
The journey is not without risks. In the summer the seawater is clearly calmer, but people have already drowned this year. Boats leave without motor and without life jackets, as can be seen in the video below:
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What probably plays a role is that trucks in Calais are being monitored more closely. Migrants have been trying for years to crawl into cargo spaces and thus travel to England via the Channel Tunnel. Now that that has become more difficult, migrants seem more likely to opt for a boat.
“Many of them hope to quickly build a new life in England, because they speak the language, for example, or already know people here. But that dream is often far away: first a long asylum procedure follows, or people disappear into illegality.” says correspondent Anne Saenen.
Money and new legislation
In London, patience has run out. For example, France will receive more than 60 million euros from the British, so that the French coast guard will patrol more. But the hope is mainly pinned on new, stricter asylum legislation from Priti Patel, the Minister of the Interior.
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“For example, migrants who make the crossing illegally and who are not entitled to asylum risk a prison sentence. At the moment that is a maximum of six months, but if it is up to the government, this will be increased to a maximum of four years. People smugglers risk life,” says Saenen.
It should also be possible to handle asylum procedures outside England. There is even thought of an asylum seekers center on the British volcanic island of Ascension, 7000 kilometers from London, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Even greater risks
Human rights organizations have strongly criticized the plans. For example, Amnesty proposes that the legislation chaos will cause and makes asylum seekers even more vulnerable. The fear is that they will seek refuge elsewhere and take greater risks.
The House of Commons is now considering the plans. According to Anne Saenen, the government is keen to get the legislation through.
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Migration has always been an important theme for Prime Minister Johnson’s party, says Saenen. “For years he has been trying to take a tougher approach and more control over who comes into the country. That was also an important reason for many voters to vote for Brexit. The government says this migration legislation is a response to that, and calls it the most radical change of the past decades.”
Criticism from the Labor party is heard in the House of Commons. But the British opposition seems to be able to do little, says Saenen. “The Conservatives currently have a large majority in parliament. After that, it still has to pass the Senate, the British House of Lords, but that is mainly a matter of time.”
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