The Home Office is under more and more pressure to grant 10,000 refugee visas to handle the growing death toll among small boat Channel crossing attendees. With at least 69 victims, including men, women, and children, the terrible death toll in 2024 was higher than in past years, according to a ground-breaking Refugee Council study called Deaths in the Channel – What Needs to Change. This figure surpasses the 59 deaths reported between 2019 and 2023 combined. Hence, there are questions regarding the actual death count, which may be much higher.
The report of the Refugee Council demands a quick response to stop more deaths of people. Among its main recommendations is the launch of a new program providing 10,000 refugee permits, meant to lessen migrant dependency on traffickers and, therefore, save lives. The paper underlines the need for improved death records for both French and UK authorities, stressing, wherever feasible, the age, gender, and nationality of the victims. It also underlines the need for better search and rescue infrastructure throughout the northern French coast.
How Are Smuggling Groups Profiting from Rising Risk?
Funded by the UK government, the increased enforcement operations by French police on the northern beaches help explain some of the rising deaths. Although the aim has been to reduce illegal Channel crossings, the enforcement policies have unintentionally made attempts to cross the Channel even more risky. Using crowded dinghies to transport immigrants across the sea, Smugglers profit from the mounting anarchy. Police have allegedly disrupted crossings using knives and tear gas, therefore creating ever-dangerous circumstances.
The study by the Refugee Council emphasises how these extreme circumstances, together with the mounting desperation of refugees, have made Channel crossings more risky than ever. Sometimes, people have tried to board boats without paying the smugglers in advance, aggravating the already chaotic circumstances. Sadly, many of the deaths last year happened near the French coast when smugglers drove boats into the sea despite great dangers.
How might Legal Pathways Address the Emerging Crisis?
Channel crossings rose significantly in 2024, 25% more than in 2023. From 29,437 in 2023 to 36,816 in 2024, the overall cross-count jumped. Although this figure is still shockingly high and reflects the ongoing and expanding nature of the problem, it is still below the record high of 45,774 arrivals in 2022. Both the past and present UK governments have stated that they are gradually destroying the people smuggling economic model, notwithstanding this rise in crossings.
The Refugee Council contends, therefore, that enforcement by itself is insufficient. Their research advocates opening legal and safe paths for immigrants into the United Kingdom, thus lessening the need for risky, illicit Channel crossings. The paper notes the effectiveness of a comparable program in the United States, where a sponsorship program combined with enhanced border security let 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans enter the US lawfully. This two-pronged approach produced a startling drop in unlawful crossings from an average of 200,000 monthly in 2022 and 2023 to just 54,000 in September 2024.
A Refugee Council spokesman said, “Smuggling gangs are profiting from men, women, and children forced into life-threatening circumstances.” “Enforcement actions by themselves cannot solve this. Given the paucity of monitoring by French and UK authorities, which results in an inaccurate picture, the overall fatality count might be substantially higher. Refugee visas are one more safe and legal path needed to give individuals escaping violence and persecution a lifeline.
Could the actual death toll be far higher than recorded?
Witness evidence supports concerns about the official death count not somewhat reflecting the actual toll. Six children and a pregnant mother were among the twelve persons claimed deceased in a sad event on September 3, 2024. Still, other witnesses said the actual count of deaths was as high as 15. A toddler who crossed the Channel in July 2024 also claimed to see another child fall overboard and drown on the dangerous trip.
These stories present a bleak picture of people trying to traverse the perilous crossing. The Refugee Council issues a warning about the actual risk of the loss of life becoming accepted as the death toll keeps rising.
Is the present approach of the government sufficient to handle the crisis?
A Home Office spokesman responded to the escalating crisis by expressing sympathy for every life lost at sea. Still, he underlined that the government’s priorities are preserving life and safeguarding the borders of the United Kingdom. They stressed that the combined efforts with France to halt crossings are meant to stop individuals from endangering others and themselves.
“The people smuggling gangs only care about profit; we are seeing their behaviour adapt, with more people crammed into flimsy and dangerous boats,” the spokesman said. “Our combined efforts with France in preventing Channel crossings are about stopping people from putting others and oneself at risk.”
Critics counter that adding refugee visas and legal routes for immigrants into the UK is essential in lowering the need for risky crossings since enforcement policies alone will not address the issue. The Refugee Council’s research highlights how likely the mortality count would rise even more in 2025 without a new strategy.
“The record number of deaths in the Channel in 2024 should act as a sobering reminder that the current approach is not working,” the Refugee Council said. “If the government is to guarantee everything possible is done so that 2025 does not see a repeat of last year’s terrible loss.”
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