Traffickers dangle migrant babies into Channel to ward off coast guard - NATALIE ELPHICKE
- 4 years ago
IT'S HIGH time to put an end to the migrant crisis on the English Channel. In the last couple of years, small boats have been illegally crossing the English Channel with impunity. The crisis will only end when migrants and traffickers alike know they won't succeed.
A record, more than 3,700, have arrived so far this year compared with 1,850 for the whole of last year, as organised trafficking gangs have adopted new methods to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Urgent action is now needed, along with a strong plan to tackle the problem. Yet it is easy to forget that this is a new route for illegal crossings. In 2016 there was barely a trickle of small boats- now there are entire flotillas day after day as the inflatable dinghy route has become the traffickers' preferred one. So we should not take it for granted that this is an inevitable border security breach – far from it. Firm and clear action can bring an end to this once and for all.
A record, more than 3,700, have arrived so far this year compared with 1,850 for the whole of last year, as organised trafficking gangs have adopted new methods to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Urgent action is now needed, along with a strong plan to tackle the problem. Yet it is easy to forget that this is a new route for illegal crossings. In 2016 there was barely a trickle of small boats- now there are entire flotillas day after day as the inflatable dinghy route has become the traffickers' preferred one. So we should not take it for granted that this is an inevitable border security breach – far from it. Firm and clear action can bring an end to this once and for all.