In northern France, officials confirmed on February 18 that rescue boats patrolling the region had saved nearly 140 people trying to cross the English Channel over the weekend. The majority of the rescues were part of two major operations.
In one of the rescue operations, French coastguard officials rescued 57 people who had set off from the coastal village of Gravelines near Calais on Saturday (February 17).
In one of the other operations, a boat carrying at least 75 migrants sent out a distress call and then had to be towed back to safety.
In one incident on Saturday, a total of five people were saved after their boat had sunk off the coastal town of Boulogne, officials said, adding that there was a four-month-old baby among them.
The Channel is particularly dangerous for migrants to cross as it is also one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Several deaths are recorded each year.
Also read: French police prevent at least 100 migrants from attempting Channel crossing
€900 million to 'stop the boats'
In 2023, about 36,000 people tried to reach the United Kingdom using irregular means of migration from the northern coast of France.
Border officials on either side are slowly succeeding in bringing down the number of crossings but perhaps not at the pace they envisioned.
Last month, during an official visit to France, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly praised the "exemplary" commitment from French officials in curbing the numbers, adding that UK Home Office would seek to further accelerate cooperation efforts between the two countries.
"France is an essential partner to prevent illegal migration. The UK continues to support the challenges faced by French law enforcement, operating under increasingly difficult circumstances to save lives and disrupt organized criminal gangs. Their commitment is exemplary and the results are impressive," Cleverly said.
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But in January alone, more than 1,000 made the journey to Britain, which is why the UK and France recently announced plans to beef up their joint efforts to intervene and stop the small boat crossings.
To this end, the UK has pledged more funds for further policing and extra equipment worth €342 million between 2018 and 2022 and another €561 million between 2023 and 2026, totaling over €900 million in 8 years.
Since the UK departed from the European Union -- commonly referred to as Brexit -- in 2020, the coordination of cross-Channel operations between the UK and France has faced some major hurdles.
Also read: Five dead, more than 30 rescued in Channel, as hundreds attempt crossing
with AFP, dpa