Despite vows by both the United Kingdom and France to curb illegal crossings of the English Channel, a report has found that since the beginning of the year an average of five migrant-filled boats set sail towards England every week.
The BBC has reported the local government in Calais as saying that 237 migrant vessels have been intercepted in the English Channel since January. British authorities brought 138 to England, meaning that the French have stopped fewer than half of all migrant boats.
It is estimated that 1,460 migrants have reached the shores of Britain successfully, with another 1,105 being stopped by France. Another 11,952 migrants have been found, stowed away in lorries, at the Port of Calais, and 7,911 at the Eurotunnel terminal.
Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke, speaking to the Daily Mail, compared the situation to the infamous Calais Jungle.
“Everyone knows the French haven’t been doing anywhere near enough to stop migrant boats coming across,” Mr Elphicke said.
“They embark from their coast, into their waters, so you would expect a great majority to be intercepted by their authorities. Sadly we saw a similar situation with the Calais Jungle,” he added.
“The French waited until the camp grew to over 10,000 until they finally took action, under increasing pressure from Calais residents and people like me. They should know they risk a return of it now unless they get a grip of this quickly.”
The boat crossings of the Channel are reminiscent of the routes that African and Asian migrants take across the Mediterranean into Europe, arriving in countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have made the sea journey, although many have died attempting the trip.
Earlier this year a spokesman for the Home Office said: “Anyone crossing the Channel in a small boat is taking a huge risk with their life and the lives of their children.”
Last month, Breitbart London reported on a people-smuggler who claimed that French authorities are actively helping illegal migrants get to the United Kingdom. The smuggler said that French police inform migrants when to cross the English Channel to avoid detection by British border patrols.