Migrants hoping to cross English Channel contemplate future
People along the French coast hoping to cross the English Channel on small boats have spoken to the BBC about their futures.Nearly 15,000 people have reached the UK in small boats so far in 2025 - a rise of about a third on the same period in the previous year.At a makeshift camp in Dunkirk, one man who did not give his name said although his first attempt to cross the Channel was stopped by police, he was undeterred and would try again.Another man hoping to cross the Channel, who also did not give his name, said: "I want documents and work and safety."
A man from Afghanistan, who did not want to be identified, said he would be attempting to cross the Channel."The small boats are very dangerous," he added."France is good [but the] UK is good for the immigrants."Although one man, who did not give his name, said he was thinking about returning home."I think I need to go back home," he said."I miss my family, I miss my children."
The Home Office has said it wants to end "dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security" and will "stop at nothing" to dismantle people-smuggling gangs.A spokesperson added: "We are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders."
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