According to media reports, migrants in French camps continue to prepare for crossings of the English Channel, expressing doubt that the new migration agreement between France and the United Kingdom will deter their attempts to reach the UK. At the same time, a sense of anxiety prevails among municipalities in northern France and local authorities, who fear that the agreement’s implementation could worsen the situation on the ground.
According to MailOnline, migrants continued preparing to leave the refugee camp near Grande-Synthe in hopes of crossing to the United Kingdom. Many expressed little concern that the new agreement between France and the UK would result in their return to France after crossing the English Channel.
A Somali migrant said, “We heard yesterday that France and England made an agreement stating that if you’re a migrant traveling by boat and you have family in England, you won’t be sent back to France. I have a cousin and a brother in London.”
He also explained that he had fled an area of armed conflict between al-Shabaab and rival clans, adding, “I’m not afraid. We spent four days on a boat from Libya to Italy. Reaching England will take just five hours—and once we’re there, they will help us.”
Local politicians in Calais have expressed concern that the implementation of the agreement could result in migrants being returned to France after crossing the English Channel—particularly as the region is already struggling with the spread of migrant camps along roadsides and among sand dunes. Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart said, “I am extremely angry and stunned to see that there was no consultation with us. We’ll find ourselves in a difficult position, because we are already struggling to manage the issues of crossings and arrivals. Now, we’ll have to deal with migrants whom the British government chooses to send back to France. And when we say ‘to France,’ we don’t mean Paris, Marseille, or Le Touquet—we mean Calais.”
Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-France region, also criticized the agreement with the United Kingdom. According to Bertrand, the one-for-one deal means the UK will have the power to select which migrants to keep: “The one-to-one principle is simply a way for the British to choose their migrants,” he said. “They’ll get the migrants they choose, and we’ll get the ones they impose on us.”
In the same context, activists and civil society organizations supporting migrants have threatened to take action to block the migrant exchange agreement between France and the United Kingdom. They reaffirmed their support for the legal cases brought by migrants who crossed the Channel. Meanwhile, the European Commission stated that it is conducting a legal assessment of the agreement, following objections raised by several EU member states.
