The British government has confirmed that at least four migrants have died in a shipwreck in the English Channel on Wednesday afternoon (14). In addition to the deaths, UK officials said dozens of people were rescued from the sea with injuries.
“We fear that crossing the canal is an undignified and dangerous endeavor. It is for this reason, above all, that we are working hard to destroy the business model of people smugglers, brutal organized criminals who treat people as commodities.” Suella Braverman.
Further details on the nationalities of the victims on board have not yet been released. Refugee Action, which works to protect migrants in the UK, lamented the tragedy: “More deaths on the Channel is an unbearably tragic loss. Our thoughts are with their loved ones,” the organization said.
The Care4Calais association, which operates in the English Channel region, expressed its sadness at the deaths of the victims: “There are no words to express our horror and sorrow at today’s tragedy. A year after 32 people died in the canal, our government has not done anything to prevent more casualties,” he said.
A new plan to strengthen the fight against immigration
The incident on the English Channel, which links Great Britain to French territory, comes a day after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Tuesday (13) the announcement of new measures aimed at combating irregular immigration to the UK. According to the plan, border control will be strengthened by hiring 200 new civil servants.
The plan offers to move about 10,000 refugees from “expensive accommodation” to “low-cost accommodation”, increase the number of social workers working on pending cases and “drastically” simplify the asylum process. The aim is to respond to current demands by the end of next year.
“It is neither cruel nor inhuman to want to break the stronghold of criminal gangs who commercialize human suffering and exploit our system and our laws,” Sunak declared. Despite the strengthening of immigration law from 2023, which provides for the arrest and deportation of migrants arriving in the UK through routes deemed illegal, the government has promised to create “legal and safe routes”. Asylum pre-established by Parliament.
This Wednesday (14), Safe Passage, an organization that works to support migrants arriving in the UK, declared that “nothing the Prime Minister announced yesterday would have prevented this terrible incident from happening”.
In addition to the proposed measures, the French and United Kingdom governments formalized an agreement in November to combat crossings in the English Channel. In the following months, Surveys will increase by 40%🇧🇷
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has stated that “restricting access to asylum to those arriving by ‘legal and safe means’ is contrary to fundamental principles of international solidarity”. Following the announcement of tightening immigration controls, UNHCR urged the UK to meet its “international legal obligations”, noting the need to assess cases individually, including the right of appeal.
At least 450,000 refugees have been welcomed into the territory since 2015, according to data released by the Ministry of Interior. However, this figure only includes migrants who came to the UK through “legal and safe means”.
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