Germany and the U.K. have unveiled a joint plan to crack down on criminal gangs facilitating irregular small-boat crossings. This initiative includes Germany amending its laws that make the facilitation of people smuggling to non-E.U. countries, like the U.K., explicitly illegal. This collaboration comes as small boat crossings in the English Channel continue to rise. Campaigners caution that targeting smuggling networks must be paired with creating safe routes for migrants.

Germany and U.K. collaborate on controversial crackdowns

While the plan promises enhanced cooperation, critics argue it falls short. By criminalizing those facilitating illegal crossings without safe and legal routes for migrants, the systemic issues driving dangerous journeys remain unaddressed.

According to the BBC, over 33,000 people have crossed this year alone, an 18% increase compared to last year. Tragically, these perilous journeys have claimed more than 70 lives in 2024, with overcrowded boats carrying an average of 53 people—a stark rise from 10 people in 2019.

Charlie Eastaugh, director of international operations at the U.K.’s Border Security Command said,

The Channel crossings are the most dangerous they have ever been. We’ve seen tyre inner tubes being used in place of life jackets, it’s extraordinarily dangerous, they are death traps.

There are fewer boats and fewer engines in supply, we have seized over 450 boats and engines across Europe – and organised crime gangs are taking greater risks.

Conservative leaders in the U.K. claim the plan lacks sufficient deterrents, while humanitarian advocates emphasize the need for safe migration routes. Without legal pathways, migrants remain vulnerable to exploitation and are forced into life-threatening conditions.

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