Attempts to illegally cross the Channel by migrants wanting to reach England exploded in the first half of 2022, after an already record year 2021, said the Interior Ministry.

At the same time, the British government is tightening its migration policy.

Between January 1 and June 13, 2022, "777 crossing events and attempted crossings in small boats involving 20,132 candidates were identified", according to the French Ministry of the Interior.

This represents an increase of 68% compared to the same period in 2021. Moreover, last year, these crossing attempts had already reached a “record”, with 52,000 people having tried their luck and 28,000 migrants having succeeded, according to data from Place Beauvau communicated in January.

The British want to send migrants to Rwanda

“It should be noted that the rate of checks is constantly rising with 61.39% of sea crossings prevented by the French internal security forces (+4.2 points compared to the rate for 2021) and 10,090 individuals (+ 65%) arrested since the beginning of the year”, underlined the Ministry of the Interior.

These sea crossings have become a regular source of tension between Paris and London, especially since Brexit.

The climax having been reached, at the end of 2021, after the death, in November, of at least 27 people in the sinking of their boat in the Channel.

A drama that had sparked a skirmish between the French and British authorities about the control of this border.

Since then, Britain has continued to harden its tone on the subject.

Recently, an ultra-controversial strategy has been put in place, denounced by NGOs and human rights defenders.

It consists of returning asylum seekers who have arrived illegally on its soil to Rwanda, a country with which Great Britain has signed an agreement.

Last Tuesday, a first charter flight which was to convey up to 130 migrants (including Iranians, Iraqis, Albanians or Syrians) to Kigali was prevented in extremis by a decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The Court, based in Strasbourg, considered that the British justice should examine in detail the legality of the device, which is planned for July, before deporting migrants.

However, the British government has since repeated its desire to continue this policy.

“We are confident about the legality of what we are doing and we will continue this policy,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday.

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