Britain and France on Monday signed an agreement worth 72.2 million euros ($74.5 million) over the coming year to ramp up efforts to stop illegal migrants from making perilous journeys across the Channel.
So far this year more than 40,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, up from 28,526 last year, putting pressure on new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and interior minister Suella Braverman to do more to stem the flow.
Last month Braverman said Britain faced an "invasion" from people arriving in small boats, as the government was criticised for conditions at an overcrowded migrant processing centre in southern England.
"It is in the interests of both the UK and French governments to work together to solve this complex problem," Braverman said in a statement, after meeting French interior minister Gerald Darmanin in Paris on Monday morning.
"There are no quick fixes, but this new arrangement will mean we can significantly increase the number of French gendarmes patrolling the beaches in northern France and ensure UK and French officers are working hand in hand to stop the people smugglers."
Darmanin tweeted to say France and Britain were, with this deal, strengthening their cooperation against illegal immigration.
But Franck Dhersin, the mayor of Teteghem in northern France, told BBC Radio that migrants would try again if they are stopped.
"They don't want to stay in Belgium, in Germany or in France. They want to go to England (to) see members of their family," he said.
The British government said the multi-year deal would see a 40% increase in the number of UK-funded officers patrolling French beaches in the next five months.
SOVEREIGNTY
British officers will also be embedded in French-led control rooms and on the ground with their counterparts for the first time to improve coordination and information sharing.
France has previously resisted calls from Britain to have their own immigration officers on the ground in France over concerns the move would threaten its sovereignty.
The agreement will strengthen security at ports by funding investment in surveillance technology, drones, detection dog teams, CCTV and helicopters to help detect and prevent crossings, as well as supporting reception and removal centres in France for migrants whose journeys to the UK are prevented.
Britain said more than 30,000 illegal crossing attempts from France have been prevented since the start of the year.
British ministers have said Albanians are behind a surge in arrivals and that many of them are seeking to abuse Britain's modern slavery laws by claiming to be a victim of trafficking in order to avoid being deported.
Albanians made up 42% of people travelling on small boats between May and September this year, according to British government figures released earlier this month. Just over 11,000 Albanians arrived in those five months, compared with 815 in 2020, the figures showed.
The new agreement will see a taskforce set up "focused on reversing the recent rise in Albanian nationals and organised crime groups exploiting illegal migration routes into Western Europe and the UK".
France's relations with Italy have also been frayed over how to deal with immigration. But on Monday as well, the French and Italian presidents agreed on a phone call that good cooperation was important, their offices said.
