The English Channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the southern coast of England from the northern coast of France. It is roughly 350 miles long and is considered one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
At its narrowest point, the distance between the two countries is just over 20 miles, making it a major migration route from countries like Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran and Sudan.
Britain and France recently signed a three-year agreement aimed at stopping illegal alien migrants from making the risky trip across the Channel in small boats. The French pledged to increase law enforcement to 1,400 officers by 2029, and Britain will provide up to 766 million euros, depending upon how well the French measures work.
Dr. Glen Duerr, who was born and raised in the United Kingdom and is now chair of history and government and professor of international studies at Cedarville University in Ohio, says this agreement addresses a serious problem.
"I grew up very close to the Channel; I crossed it multiple times in the 1980s and 1990s," he tells AFN. "It's roughly 22, 23 miles across, and in the most recent couple of decades, it has become a major source of illegal crossings into the United Kingdom."
Until recently, he says France has done very little to stop it.
"In fact, it has allowed for encampments, especially in Calais and Boulogne and the surrounding areas, for people to get to the United Kingdom," Dr. Duerr details. "France, not wanting to hold those migrants themselves, is happy to see them on the way to the U.K."
He says brokering this deal is a positive move from center-left Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is facing political pressure from the right to curb immigration.
"I think it's one of the reasons why the voters either punished the Conservative Party, or they stayed home in the July 2024 general election," the political scientist poses. "I'm pleasantly surprised that they're acting in a way that'll maybe get closer to a solution, or at least there's something measurable."
In addition to stepping up law enforcement on the beaches, France is looking to deploy drones, helicopters and digital resources to "better prevent attempted crossings" and reduce the number of departures, particularly of "taxi boats."
