Macron, Sunak Agree on New Pact to End Illegal Migration

By Staff, Agencies

After a summit in Paris aimed at overcoming years of tensions, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday agreed on a new pact to stop illegal migration.

Both leaders hailed a new start in relations between the two neighbors after the first Britain-France summit in five years, which was also marked by expressions of unity in their support for Ukraine in fighting Russia’s invasion.

The centerpiece of the forum was the deal to thwart illegal cross-Channel migration, as Sunak is under force pressure at home to reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving in Britain.

Earlier this week, his government unveiled legislation that would ban people who arrive in the country illegally from seeking asylum – which was condemned by critics who suggest it would make Britain an international outlaw on refugee rights. Illegal migrants would instead be detained and sent to a third country deemed safe. Exceptions would be made for minors, but only if they were unaccompanied.

In response to the proposed bill, the UN’s children’s agency said it was “deeply concerned” about its impact on minors, saying it could deny children and families the chance to seek safety in the United Kingdom.

In its deal with France, London will step up funding to France over the next three years to total $575 million, allowing the deployment of “hundreds” of extra French law enforcement officers along the English Channel coast to stop the illegal migration, the British government said.

“We don't need to manage this problem, we need to break it,” said Sunak. “And today, we have gone further than ever before to put an end to this disgusting trade in human life.”

More than 45,000 migrants arrived in the UK last year by crossing the Channel on small boats. According to official figures, 17 percent of people who took the Channel route to the UK since 2018 were minors.