UK and France Strike Deal to Curb Migrants From Illegally Crossing English Channel

France and the UK have struck an agreement aimed at preventing migrants from illegally crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Under the new returns pilot scheme, announced on July 10, about 50 illegal immigrants per week will be sent back to France in return for Britain taking the same number of asylum-seekers in France, under a legal route.

Asylum-seekers in France who have ties to the UK can submit an Expression of Interest for legal entry, subject to biometric checks and approval by the Home Office. The route will be available only to those who have not previously tried to enter the UK illegally.

After testing the new pilot scheme, the UK plans to gradually expand its scope.

Speaking at a joint news conference, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron said the two sides would work to implement the deal in the coming weeks.

The announcement comes amid a surge in small-boat crossings this year, with more than 21,000 illegal immigrants having landed on British shores so far this year.

Starmer said the so-called “one in, one out” deal will serve as a deterrent to illegal immigration across the Channel.

“This will show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain,” he said. “And the jobs they’ve been promised in the UK will no longer exist because of the nationwide crackdown we’re delivering on illegal working, which is on a completely unprecedented scale.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp dismissed the argument that the new scheme will serve as a deterrent, and called for an approach that would see all illegal immigrants removed from the UK immediately on arrival.

Philp said that Starmer’s decision to scrap the previous Conservative government’s Rwanda plan has led to a surge in illegal crossings.

Measures to Curb Illegal Immigration

Since coming into power in July 2024, Labour has taken a set of measures to curb illegal immigration and reassert control over the UK’s national borders.

A new Border Security Command now coordinates efforts between intelligence and enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, proposed legislation introduces prison sentences for those who endanger lives at sea or supply equipment for illegal crossings. The UK has also rolled out a sanctions regime targeting smugglers with asset freezes and travel bans.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that since summer 2024, the government has returned more than 30,000 people with no right to be in the UK.

In February, Cooper and French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau agreed to reallocate 8 million euros (about $9.4 million) to strengthen enforcement along the French coastline and tackle Channel crossings.

The funding supports increased patrols, training of drone pilots, and the launch of a specialist intelligence and judicial police unit in Dunkirk, aimed at arresting and prosecuting people smugglers.

According to British officials, the French government is currently reviewing its maritime tactics to strengthen efforts against small-boat crossings. This includes exploring ways for operational teams to intervene at sea and stop so-called “taxi boats” from picking up illegal immigrants waiting in the water.

Post-Brexit System

Since officially leaving the EU in 2021, the UK has stopped being part of the bloc’s Dublin Regulation, which allowed it to return illegal immigrants to the first EU country they entered.

Without a replacement deal in place post-Brexit, the UK relies on bilateral agreements with the countries of origin to deport illegal immigrants.

It currently has a number of agreements with countries, including India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Vietnam. These deals vary in scope, effectiveness, and legal status.

During the news conference, Macron said that Brexit has created a legal vacuum that encourages illegal migration.

“The current situation is actually giving an incentive to make the crossing. And this is therefore the exact opposite of what Brexit had proposed and promised,” he said.

“The thing is, the British people were sold a lie, which was that they were told the problem was Europe, but by creating this legal void, the problem has become Brexit.”

Macron said France will bolster coordination with other European nations, including the countries of first entry in Europe, to tackle illegal immigration.

In March, the European Commission proposed a new EU-wide system aimed at speeding up returns and easing the burden on frontline countries.

The plan is part of a broader overhaul of the EU’s migration policy, and complements the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, which seeks to streamline and accelerate asylum procedures across the bloc.

While no longer part of the Dublin Regulation, the UK remains a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The treaty includes protections that limit how governments can treat migrants, even if they arrived illegally.

This includes a migrant’s right to challenge deportation.

Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage, who has previously called on the UK government to leave the ECHR, described the new scheme as “a humiliation for Brexit Britain.”

The Labour government has pledged to remain in the ECHR, while tightening border controls.