Why record Channel drownings are unlikely to deter migrants
Desperation and hopes of a better life outweigh fears about perilous crossing
Desperate migrants are vowing to continue attempting dangerous sea crossings despite the drowning of at least 27 people in the deadliest day in the English Channel since records began, according to reports.
After visiting a makeshift camp on the outskirts of Dunkirk following Wednesday’s tragedy, The Guardian’s security editor Dan Sabbagh reported that “everybody says they still have the same plan, to try to get on a boat to the UK”.
“Everybody knows the risks,” he wrote. But the crossings will continue “because they do not believe that death will come to them – and because of their hope for a better life”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
An Iraqi Kurd migrant named only as Mira told the paper that he had left his home in the city of Sulaymaniyah because “there is no life” there. That phrase, said Sabbagh, was “repeated by many in and around the camp” who are “ready to make the perilous journey in the hope of eventually making money to send back home”.
Another migrant, Muhammed, said Britain was his favoured destination because he has “friends in Nottingham, in London and Birmingham”.
An Iraqi Kurd at the same camp told the Daily Mail that he has tried to cross the channel 11 times so far and would continue trying, even in a fragile dinghy. “If I don’t get in this year, I’ll try again next year – it’s very dangerous but we’re obligated to try again,” he said.
A source told the paper that the “thousands of migrants in France” are” in a state of collective hysteria”, because “by the time they reach France, they are exhausted”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
“They are not thinking straight,” the source said. “They can’t go back, only forward”.
People-smugglers are also reported to be determined to ensure that the crossings do not stop. Criminals charging up to £6,000 for each crossing “put guns to the heads of anyone who dithers about getting on a boat”, because “the more seats they fill on a vessel, the more money they make”.
The “lure” of the UK is down to a “few main factors”, said The Times – namely “work, family ties and the English language”. Informal work in the black market is “easier to find in Britain”, and many people who make it across will have family and contacts here who can “smooth their path”. And most migrants are more likely to already speak at least some English than other European languages.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has claimed that 70% of people crossing the Channel in small boats are economic migrants, but this figure been disputed by the Refugee Council.
Undocumented economic migrants “do not generally deliver themselves into the hands of Home Office officials as soon as they reach UK soil”, The Guardian noted. The paper pointed out that Patel and the then immigration minister Chris Philp rejected recommendations to make payments of £12.11 a week to asylum seekers in UK hotels for essential living needs because they “did not want to further increase any possible pull factors”.
Patel has also proposed a “turn back the boats” policy. But the policy has “triggered a heated battle inside the government amid fears that people on the boats could puncture them as UK vessels try to turn them around, meaning they would have to be rescued”, The Telegraph reported.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Princess of Wales celebrates end of chemotherapy
Speed Read The former Kate Middleton shares rare glimpse into family life as she marks milestone in her cancer treatment
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
The world's best astrotourism adventures
The Week Recommends From the depths of the Namib Desert to Finnish Lapland, these remote destinations are ideal for stargazing
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
'Fight night'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Modern royal scandals from around the world
The Explainer From Spain to the UAE, royal families have often been besieged by negative events
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Zelenskyy says 31,000 troops dead in 2 years of war
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a rare official military death toll
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published