Border Force is refusing to implement Priti Patel’s plan to turn back migrant boats after another 20 people who made the perilous crossing across the English Channel Officials brought the victims to shore today.
They were accompanied by life jackets and winter coats.
More than 21,000 people have crossed Dover Strait by boat, making it one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. This is nearly twice the figure for the previous year.
After receiving legal advice, the home secretary has announced that she will turn back migrants at a Tory conference next month.
The group of around 20 migrants are brought ashore by Border Force officials after making the perilous journey across the English Channel
After Priti Patel (home secretary) announced her plans to return migrants during a Tory conference, the scenes are captured.
According to Ms Patel, the plan would have migrants boats being intercepted by jet ski officers and then turned back to France.
The government wants to get the Nationality and Borders Bill passed through Parliament. This would grant Border Force officers immunity from prosecution in ‘turnback operations’.
However, opposition MPs and charities have criticized the decision, while France has called the tactic ‘illegal.
Border Force also refused requests to implement Ms Patel’s strategy, citing concerns such as the weather or size of any boats that were intercepted.
According to immigration officials, this week they said that the lack of agency support and conditions meant that the policy could not be applied.
An officer from the Border Force told The Times that it was unlikely for this to happen.
The captains of cutters are in control and if they don’t want to, the process will not happen.
Lucy Moreton from the Immigration Services Union (frontline Border Force personnel) said that the tactic was unlikely to be used as safety at sea is paramount and there’s a risk of losing your life.
Also, she said that the French cannot receive a vessel in distress from the French force and would not cooperate because they don’t believe it’s legal.
Meanwhile Kim Bryan, from the charity Channel Rescue, which observes migrants arriving in small boats, warned Ms Patel the consequences of using the controversial ‘pushback’ tactics would be ‘horrific’.
Immigration bring the group of migrants into the port of Dover in Kent in the early hours of this morning
As they arrive at shore, the group is given life jackets or coats before being taken to a facility.
Figures show more than 21,000 people have now crossed the Dover Strait by boat this year
She is a tBBC Breakfast: “What they seem do is push the boat from thestern and bow. And I suppose the idea is that they will push them back in French waters.
These boats are extremely fragile. They could capsize from the jet-skis’ water pressure. The result, should this happen, will be tragedy. It will have devastating consequences.
Priti Patel said, “It is completely dangerous and impossible to propose that we pushbacks on the Channel.”
After the approval of the prime minister at September’s end, the turnback powers can be applied.
Border Force officers were seen at Dover using the tactic of three jet skis to surround a migrant vessel and direct it towards France.
This tactic is only allowed in Channel sections that are at least 1.8 miles long. Commanders can agree to this procedure only if they can confirm that an French rescue or navy can transport the boat back.
Additional safety requirements must be adhered to, such as weather conditions and the number of migrants.
This is the latest scene after a drowning migrant was killed when his boat capsized on Channel in November 3.
French officials off Dunkirk recovered the body of this man. His death is suspected to be due to drowning.
A government source claimed that there were unknown numbers of migrants on the same dinghy and they were all rescued.
The rescue mission was initiated by a Channel ferry, which had to pull over and save migrants from a sinking boat.
The Isle of Ishinore was captured by photos that showed over a dozen migrants boarding a boat. They were propelled along the busy shipping lane of the globe by just one paddle-wielding man.
After the ferry was seen drifting from Dover to Calais, the captain informed passengers that the vessel had been forced to stop to rescue the 13 people in need whose boat ran out of fuel.
Following a sighting of a moth in the water, the Isle of Ishinore halted mid-way along a cross from Dover to Calais. The boat was dispatched (right), to help the migrants (left).
According to data from this week, 21,050 migrants arrived so far in 2021 as compared with the 8,410 record in 2020.
In the earlier part of this year Clandestine Channel Threat Commander Dan O’Mahoney stated that dangerous crossings between EU-safe countries were completely unnecessary. He also said, “We are determined to eliminate the evil criminal gangs responsible.”
“We will work with French and International partners as well as across Government to solve this issue.
“We doubled the police presence on French beaches and prevented over 10,000 attempted arrests. We also secured almost 300 arrests, 65 criminal prosecutions.
“The New Government Plan for Immigration” will correct the broken asylum system and make it more difficult to exploit.
MailOnline reached out the Home Office to request comment.