French Minister Urges UK To Open Legal Migrant Route
Muhammad Irfan Published November 29, 2021 | 04:02 PM
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin urged Britain on Monday to open a legal route for asylum seekers in order to prevent people risking their lives by taking small boats across the Channel to England
Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Nov, 2021 ) :French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin urged Britain on Monday to open a legal route for asylum seekers in order to prevent people risking their lives by taking small boats across the Channel to England.
"Great Britain needs to open up a legal immigration route" because "at the moment anyone who wants to ask for asylum has no other choice but to cross the Channel," Darmanin said in an interview with the RMC/BFM media group.
French officials have already suggested that British immigration officials process asylum requests in northern France from migrants camped out around the major ports on France's coast.
Darmanin convened fellow ministers responsible for immigration from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium on Sunday for talks about the Channel migrant crisis, four days after an unprecedented accident saw 27 people drown in the busy sea lane.
They met without Britain which was excluded after a row last week between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Darmanin again blamed Britain for the presence of thousands of migrants in northern France, alleging that more relaxed labour practices on the other side of the Channel were creating a "pull effect" tempting migrants across in hope of finding work.
Many migrants around Calais also say they want to travel to the UK because they speak some English already, or have family and friends in the country.
Around 26,000 people have sailed from France to England this year, leading to severe pressure on the UK government which had vowed to reduce migration after pushing through Britain's departure from the European Union.
Johnson has suggested sending police and border agents to patrol alongside their French counterparts on the beaches of northern France -- something rejected by Paris in the past as an infringement on sovereignty.
More controversially, he proposed sending back all migrants who land in England, a move which Johnson claimed would save "thousands of lives by fundamentally breaking the business model of the criminal gangs".
France received 80,000 asylum requests in 2020 compared with 27,000 in the UK.
Investigations into last Wednesday's accident continue, with French police giving no details officially about the circumstances or the identities of the victims.
A total of 17 men, seven women and three minors died, with migrants living along the coast telling AFP that the deceased were mostly Iraqis, Iranians and Afghans.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
185 held for violating 'roti' price orders in 6 days
Record-setting Duplantis lights up Xiamen, Richardson upset
Dry weather to prevail in most parts of country:PMD
Open letter to customers from Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline
4th Int'l Public Health Conference concluded
DG SBCA says launching one window operation soon besides setting up complaint ce ..
Heavy rain and hailstorm paralyse life in Hazara division
RoboTec 24 kicked off in Mechatronics Department Hayatabad
Commissioner orders 100pc recovery of DMC fee from defaulters
Police arrest two wanted criminals: SSP Larkana
Commissioner for comprehensive strategy against measles as 203 cases detected
Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) recovers 39 kg drugs in nine operations
More Stories From World
-
South Korean doctors reject govt proposal to end strike
46 minutes ago -
Pakistani heroes: unity, resilience shine amidst crisis in Sharjah
44 minutes ago -
Israel says its forces kill 10 fighters in West Bank raid
1 hour ago -
Beale returns for victorious Force against Crusaders
1 hour ago -
Ivanka Trump flaunts Desert escapade amid father’s legal wows
2 hours ago -
Blast at Iraq army base kills one, wounds others
2 hours ago
-
Chinese swimmers failed doping tests ahead of Tokyo Olympics: NY Times
2 hours ago -
Sweden's Duplantis betters own pole vault world record
2 hours ago -
Chinese company releases world's highest thermal efficiency diesel engine in Tianjin
2 hours ago -
UK rules out youth mobility deal with EU
3 hours ago -
Iran, Israel appear to pull back from brink as Gaza bombed again
3 hours ago -
AI a 'fundamental change in the news ecosystem': expert
3 hours ago