Channel: Triple the number of illegal immigrants this year

He took his first steps on English soil in May: Aras is one of 27,000 migrants who made the dangerous crossing of the English Channel this year, a number three times higher than in 2020.

The inflatable on which the 28-year-old Iranian was riding faced the huge waves and cargo ships passing through one of the busiest sea routes in the world for five hours, before being arrested by the British port.

Aras has now applied for the benefit in Britain, as have most of the illegal immigrants who have arrived in the country since the beginning of the year. Their number has tripled this year, compared to the 8,400 illegal immigrants found in 2020 on various boats trying to cross the English Channel.

The phenomenon began in 2018 after strict security measures were implemented in the port of Calais and the Eurotunnel, which migrants crossed hidden in trucks.

This year, 36 migrants lost their lives in the English Channel, 27 of them in a single shipwreck in November. But for Aras, who did not want to give his real name, the risk is worth it: “When you have no hope in your country and your life is in danger, you take the risk and do this dangerous thing,” he explains. .

This former student left Iran in 2018 and arrived in France after passing through Serbia, Greece and Germany. On the way he paid thousands of euros to traffickers and used fake passports.

To get to Britain he paid 2,500 euros to board a boat with 27 other people, including two young children. Most came from Eritrea, Iran and Afghanistan.

“Unacceptable delays”

“It is certain that the boat was overcrowded,” said Aras, who embarked on the voyage “with mixed feelings of fear and hope.”

The phenomenon of illegal immigration through the English Channel has been reduced to a real headache for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel.

During the 2016 Brexit campaign, Johnson based his success on his commitment to “regain control” of borders. But the number of asylum seekers deported to the EU has dwindled, as London is now excluded from repatriation agreements between Member States.

The massive influx of migrants has worsened Britain’s relations with France, which the British government accuses of not doing enough to prevent the departure of migrants, despite the fact that funds are available for this purpose.

A huge “waste of money”, according to Refugee Action CEO Tim Naor Hilton, who accuses the British government of “years of mismanagement” and a system that “can not cope” with the situation.

“The interior ministry needs more time than ever to process asylum applications,” he said, adding that “these unacceptable delays mean that refugees remain in the system longer and it is difficult to find accommodation.”

Tough bill

The British Parliament is considering a controversial bill of the British government, which provides strict measures for traffickers and immigrants.

If adopted, asylum seekers entering British territory illegally will be sent to the “safe countries” through which they passed to reach Britain.

But human rights groups have expressed outrage at the bill, which they say is harsh. However, according to the British government, it will create “a fair but strict immigration system”, “protect the most vulnerable and crack down on illegal immigration as well as criminal organizations that benefit from it”.

For his part, Aras “expects something better” from life in England as he waits at a hotel at Heathrow Airport for his asylum application to be considered.

Like the arrivals of illegal immigrants, asylum applications have increased significantly in the last two years, going from 2,738 in December 2019 to 16,794 in September 2021.

Moreover, the conditions in which the immigrants are waiting for the examination of their case have worsened, according to Aras, who states that “this place looks more or less like a prison”.

Source: AMPE