Paris: Gerald Darmanin, the French Interior Minister, has asked Britain to "take its responsibilities" on migrants, saying France will not be "hostage to the UK's domestic policies." "We must collaborate with our British counterparts. They must work with us to improve our collective fight against smugglers "According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, Darmanin stated.
The French Minister blamed the United Kingdom of restricting legal avenues for asylum seekers. "Since January 1, there have been 150,000 asylum claims in France. It is 30,000 in the United Kingdom." He called for "an even more vigorous campaign against smugglers" after the deaths of at least 27 migrants attempting to cross the Channel to reach Britain on Wednesday. "Those who organise these transfers should be criminalised, not migrants," he continued.
A growing number of illegal immigrants have recently crossed the English Channel into the United Kingdom. According to the BBC, more than 1,000 people crossed the Channel for the first time in November, and more than 25,000 people have crossed the Channel so far this year, according to media reports.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to visit S. Korea this week
Canada's most populous province Ontario reports 964 new Covid-19 cases