France rescued more than 400 migrants who ran into trouble on Wednesday. Several boats sank that day, one man drowned and another man is missing. It was also Thursday.
Then a boat washed ashore not far from Calais with a small group of migrants on board. One of them had died, the other two passengers were hypothermic.
This year is busier than ever with migrants on the Channel between France and England. Figures show that the escape route has been popular among refugees for the past three years. They make the dangerous crossing from the French coast. They often depart from Calais and get into trouble on the busy and turbulent stretch of sea. The previous record of migrants rescued by the British authorities was set in August this year. At that time the number was 828 migrants.
More than 21,000 people have already made the crossing this year, according to the British news agency PA, more than doubling the number in all of 2020. The British authorities want to discourage migrants by introducing strict legislation. For example, the government wants to introduce higher prison sentences for people smugglers and the migrants they take with them.
They have also been training their border guards at sea since last year to push migrant boats back to the French border. The French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, has already strongly objected to this idea, as it goes against maritime legislation that says you should help anyone who gets into trouble at sea. Pushing back is not a solution, he says.
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