A small boat used by illegal immigrants, stranded in Gravelines in France. PASCAL ROSSIGNOL / REUTERS
DECRYPTION – The Le Touquet agreements, which provide for British border controls in France, celebrate their 20th anniversary this Saturday, February 4. Yet the flow of illegal immigrants to the United Kingdom does not stop.
Controlling and reducing immigration was one of the great promises of Brexit. But the United Kingdom recorded a record net migration in 2022 with 504,000 net entries against 173,000 the previous year. The small boats, these precarious boats that cross the Channel to the British El Dorado, took 45,756 illegal immigrants against 28,526 in 2021, according to estimates from the British National Statistics Office. “It is the delayed reflection of the pressure there is on Europe in terms of admissions», confirms to Figaro Didier Leschi, Director General of the French Office for Immigration and Integration (Ofii).
However, several Franco-British treaties were to frame this incessant flow. Until an agreement on November 14 providing for the payment of 72.2 million euros to Paris, which undertakes in exchange for a 40% increase in its police forces on the beaches. The most emblematic of these Franco-British treaties is that of Le Touquet.
This article is for subscribers only. You have 81% left to discover.
Want to read more?
Unlock all items immediately. Without engagement.
Already subscribed? Login