UK sends illegal migrants back to France as it signs £6m deal for increased security measures
Britain will ramp up security at its ports using night-vision goggles, drones and number plate recognition cameras to tackle the migrant crisis as part of…
UK sends illegal migrants back to France as it signs £6m deal for increased security measures
Britain will ramp up security at its ports using night-vision goggles, drones and number plate recognition cameras to tackle the migrant crisis as part of a £6million deal with France.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid and French interior minister Christophe Castaner signed off on the action plan today which commits both countries to sending migrants who illegally cross the Channel back to France.
The agreement was penned following talks at Westminster, one day after the first handful of migrants were returned as the plan came into immediate force.
The Home Office said a group of fewer than five migrants who crossed the Channel last month were returned to France yesterday.
Both ministers committed to tackling the issue after a sharp rise in the number of migrants attempting to cross the 'dangerous shipping lane' in small boats.
They said it was vital to stop vulnerable migrants attempting 'treacherous crossings' and to tackle the people smugglers who are putting their lives in danger.
The plan will see more than £6m invested in new security equipment as well as a mutual commitment to carry out return operations as quickly as possible under the Dublin Regulation.
The Dublin Regulation is an EU law that determines which EU member state is responsible for the examination of an application for asylum.
The plan comes as a 'small number of migrants' who made the illegal journey at the end of last year were returned to France on Thursday morning, the Home Office said.
Mr Javid and Mr Castaner also agreed that migrants encountered in the Channel will be taken to the nearest safe port, in accordance with international maritime law.
The Home Office said this will build on the success of the French authorities in preventing attempted departures from French ports and beaches which has seen 44 successful disruptions covering 267 people since January 2018.
It 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.
Both governments have stressed that all criminals will be prosecuted.
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