TUESDAY 6 AUGUST 2019Channel migrants could be
forced back to Europe
Migrants trying to cross the Channel yesterday are rescued by coast guards (AFP)
LIZZIE DEARDEN
HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
Almost 50 migrants who crossed the English Channel in small boats over the weekend could be forced back
to continental Europe by British authorities.
Three children were among a total of 47 people intercepted by the Border Force, all of whom gave their
nationalities as Iranian or Iraqi. The Home Office said two cutters were patrolling waters between England
and France, after a joint action plan to reduce crossings was agreed between the countries.
“Anyone crossing the Channel in a small boat is taking a huge risk with their life and the lives of their
children,” a spokesperson said. “It is an established principle that those in need of protection should claim
asylum in the first safe country they reach and since January more than 50 people who arrived illegally in
the UK on small boats have been returned to Europe.”