British and French officials announced Thursday a major new partnership worth hundreds of millions of dollars designed to stem the flow of migrants attempting dangerous crossings of the English Channel in small watercraft.
The three-year agreement was formally signed by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez during a joint regional visit.
Britain will contribute 500 million pounds ($675 million) to enhance security measures along France’s northern coastline, with an additional 160 million pounds ($216 million) available based on the effectiveness of new anti-crossing strategies. The Home Office stated that if these new approaches prove unsuccessful, the extra funding will be discontinued after 12 months.
According to the French Interior Ministry, the partnership will significantly expand law enforcement presence in the area, increasing officer deployment from the current 907 to 1,392 during the 2026-2029 timeframe. France will also fund the establishment of a specialized police unit focused specifically on combating unauthorized migration.
The initiative will introduce advanced technology to target what officials call ‘taxi boats’ – small motorized vessels, typically inflatable, that smugglers use to transport migrants. These craft differ from boats migrants carry themselves, as they usually depart empty from hidden coastal locations and collect passengers at predetermined beach rendezvous points.
Enhanced monitoring through drone aircraft, helicopter surveillance, and electronic tracking systems will also be implemented to better intercept crossing attempts.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that bilateral cooperation had ‘already stopped tens of thousands of crossings’ and that ‘this historic agreement means we can go further — ramping up intelligence, surveillance and boots on the ground to protect Britain’s borders.’
The French interior ministry reports that UK arrivals have dropped by more than half this year compared to the same timeframe in 2025. Law enforcement operations resulted in 480 smuggler arrests during the previous year.
Much of the new resources will be deployed beginning in early summer, when crossing attempts typically surge due to improved weather conditions.
The agreement comes after a recent tragedy where two men and two women lost their lives while attempting to board an inflatable vessel off northern France’s coast. British authorities arrested a Sudanese man Friday in connection with that incident on charges of endangering life.
This new partnership expands upon the Sandhurst Treaty, originally established in 2018 and most recently renewed in 2023.
