The French government intends to intercept small boats carrying asylum seekers, even when they are already at sea. This plan has been supported by a Home Office source, but Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) claim that it puts lives at risk. The French authorities are expected to draw up plans to intervene in waters close to beaches and inland canals. This move aims to target boats that transport asylum seekers from nearby waterways to French beaches.
Keir Starmer’s Labour party is concerned that increasing irregular immigration numbers will impact future elections. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, was concerned that French officials were not intercepting boats at sea as swiftly as possible. On Saturday, a record 1,195 people reached the UK in 19 small boats, making the total number of such arrivals this year reach 14,812, the highest on record.
Currently, French police can prevent boats from leaving the beach but are restricted from intervening if they are in the water. France’s Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, has called for a change to the rules, allowing officers to intervene up to 300 meters from the coast. However, local police have reportedly opposed the proposal.
Cooper wants French border police to intercept the taxi boats not only in shallow waters near the beaches but also when they travel from rivers and inland waterways to pick up people on the beach. Traffickers have been circumventing rules by asking asylum seekers to wade into the Channel, where they are then picked up by dinghies launched from inland canals.
French government sources have told the Telegraph that ministers have approved plans to stop boats in the water while respecting the law of the sea. The French authorities are expected to develop plans to intercept boats in shallow waters within weeks. Cooper is also planning a new law to expedite the removal of asylum seekers who arrive from countries deemed safe.
A Home Office analysis released on Wednesday claimed that record numbers of people arriving in the UK via small boats can be attributed to favorable weather and greater numbers being crammed into vessels. There have been twice as many “red days” (calmer conditions in the Channel) in the first four months of this year compared to the same period in 2024. In the year to April, 47% of boats crossing the Channel had 60 or more people on board, compared with 2% in the year to April 2022.
The Migration Observatory at Oxford University challenged the Home Office analysis, stating that there is no evidence that weather is a significant factor in long-term increases in arrivals.
Priti Patel, a former Tory Home Secretary, attempted to draw up plans for UK and French officers to intervene at sea in 2021, but the French government ruled out any practices contrary to the law of the sea. The plans were eventually dropped.
Steve Smith, the chief executive of Care4Calais, criticized the latest plans, stating that it would cost more lives at sea as gangs and asylum seekers took greater risks to reach the UK.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jun/04/france-begin-intercepting-small-boats-asylum-uk-home-office
