Paris, November 28, 2025:
In a major post-Brexit security breakthrough, France has agreed to intercept migrant boats attempting to cross the English Channel, under a new bilateral pact with the United Kingdom aimed at curbing the 45,000 illegal crossings recorded annually.
The agreement, signed in Paris by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, establishes a £500 million joint fund to bolster surveillance, policing, and counter-smuggling operations along the northern French coast.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the deal will trigger enhanced naval patrols with UK Border Force, focusing on rigid-hulled inflatable boats that ferry nearly 1,000 migrants every week from Calais towards southern England.
The plan also includes:
Advanced drone surveillance over high-traffic maritime zones
Joint training for 200 French and British officers
Expanded investigations into smuggling networks, particularly Algerian-led groups, identified by Europol as controlling multi-million-euro trafficking routes
As part of the push, suspected smuggler networks will face €100 million in asset freezes, targeting cartel-style operations responsible for dozens of dangerous crossings.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper projected that the agreement could reduce Channel crossings by up to 50% by 2026, while emphasizing humanitarian safeguards.
However, rights groups voiced sharp criticism. Sara Llewellin of Refugee Tales condemned the pact as “offshoring cruelty,” warning that the policy risks illegal pushbacks and may breach protections under the 1951 Refugee Convention. The concern follows 30 migrant drownings in 2024, one of the worst tragedies in recent Channel history.
European migration analysts say the Franco-British cooperation revives stalled post-Brexit security alignment and complements the EU’s €1 billion migration management framework, though the debate over asylum rights and border enforcement is set to intensify.
