The British Home Office has announced the continuation of the program established last year to prevent boat crossings in the English Channel. British leader Keir Starmer and French Emmanuel Macron signed a deal in July 2022, described as “groundbreaking,” known as “one in, one out.” Under this agreement, an asylum seeker arriving in the UK in a small boat is forcibly returned to France, while another asylum seeker from France, who has not attempted to cross the Channel, is legally brought to the UK.
Originally, the program was set to end on June 11, but the two countries have now agreed to extend it until October 1. The aim of the program is to prevent crossings in small boats and to stop smuggling gangs. Despite the agreement, thousands of asylum seekers have continued to cross the Channel in small boats, and smugglers have adapted their business model by launching more boats from Belgium and offering more expensive journeys to the UK in trucks to evade police at French beaches.
This year, the number of crossings has decreased by about a third compared to last year, although this is partly due to the weather. Many windy days in recent months have made crossings too dangerous. By April 28, 605 individuals had been returned to France, while 581 individuals arrived in the UK under the program.
