"25,000 So Far This Year"... Increasing Immigration Flow Through the English Channel and La Manche Strait

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Despite repeated accidents in which refugees crossing the English Channel (the strait connecting mainland Britain and continental France) by rubber boats lose their lives, the flow of migrants heading to the UK continues. As the UK and France, which have repeatedly clashed over defense and fishing rights issues, respond passively to border security, the number of illegal immigrants heading to the UK is expected to increase further.

According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 25th (local time), the number of illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel has exceeded 25,000 this year. The number of immigrants, which was 300 in 2018 and less than 2,000 in 2019, has increased more than tenfold in the past two years. As the number of immigrants heading to the UK increases, the number of asylum applications also more than doubled from 17,037 last year to 37,562 this year.

War refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Yemen are crossing through France to the UK, causing the UK to struggle with refugee issues.

One of the reasons driving migration to the UK is that it is an English-speaking country and it is easier to find jobs there. G?rald Darmanin, France’s Minister of the Interior, said in an interview with France’s RTL radio that the ease of finding jobs in the UK labor market is attracting immigrants. He pointed out, "Currently, there are up to 1.2 million illegal immigrants in the UK, and a huge labor market actively accommodates them."

Moreover, Bloomberg reported that since the UK government strengthened regulations last year to prevent illegal immigration, limiting legal ways to enter the UK, more refugees are attempting to enter illegally by relying on rubber boats.

Since Brexit, tensions between the UK and France have intensified, from conflicts over nearshore fishing rights to defense and security issues, leading to expectations that the flow of immigrants crossing the English Channel will increase further.

France has recently strongly opposed the UK’s launch of the new security alliance "AUKUS" with the US and Australia to counter China. Under the trilateral agreement, the US is providing nuclear submarines to Australia, which led Australia to cancel a $37 billion diesel submarine contract with France.

Bloomberg analyzed that the launch of the AUKUS alliance has further worsened conflicts between the UK and France and contributed to the surge in immigrants heading to the UK due to border security failures. A UK media outlet reported that as relations between the UK and France deteriorate, French police are not only failing to stop the immigrant boats heading to the UK but are effectively clearing the way for them.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.