Latest news with #illegalcrossing
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Man uses rented Sea-Doo to cross into U.S.
London Watch Sarnia police say a Toronto man stole a rented Sea-Doo to illegally cross into the U.S. on the water. CTV London's Gerry Dewan explains.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Sarnia police believe Toronto man rented a jet ski and illegally crossed into the U.S
Sarnia police allege a Toronto man illegally crossed into the U.S., on the St. Clair River, by renting a Sea-Doo. They says officers were called for a report of a missing man on personal watercraft rental in Sarnia around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. Upon further investigation, police say the 40-year-old man rented a Sea-Doo on the Canadian side of the river with cash at 6:45 p.m., with a return time scheduled for 7:45 p.m. When the rental facility contacted him, police say he apologized for being late and provided "questionable excuses," indicating he was only 10 minutes away. When he failed to show again, a second call was made around 8:20 p.m., and the man once again said he was close. More calls were made but he never answered, police say. U.S. Coast Guard found the Sea-Doo a few hours later on the Michigan shore south of Sarnia, according to authorities. Emergency services combed the water and areas on both sides of the border but have yet to locate the man. "It is believed that [the man] was successful in conducting an illegal border crossing," Sarnia police said in an online statement.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Moment small boat arrives at Gravelines beach to pick up migrants to take them illegally across to the UK - as the French do NOTHING
This is the moment a small boat arrived at Gravelines beach to pick up migrants to take them illegally across to the UK. The rubber vessel was pictured off the French coast, just east of Calais, this morning, before heading off into the English Channel. Passengers, which included men, women and children, loaded on to the boat, reaching out hands to help each other aboard. Some threw peace signs at the camera - while a handful of French police officers stood on the beach, watching on. It comes after the first small boat migrants were detained in Dover on Thursday for removal to France under the Government's new 'one in, one out' scheme. The Home Office confirmed the Channel arrivals were held after they were brought into Dover but did not disclose how many there were. Migrants selected for removal under the new Labour plan will be held in Home Office detention facilities rather than living in taxpayer-funded asylum hotels. But there has been widespread criticism of the scheme - from concerns human rights challenges and other legal action could delay migrants' removal for months, to scepticism over the plan's narrow scope. The images from today show the passengers gathering on the sand as they wait to be loaded on to a boat at sunrise. They soon wade into the water at around knee depth as they wait for boats to arrive. Many are carrying children, some of whom look no older than toddlers, with most of them wearing lifejackets ahead of the passage. The majority of people have no possessions with them, apart from one small bag in some cases. One pair is seen clasping hands, while another hugs tightly. They soon variously swim and wade out to the boat, with some climbing onboard before helping to lift others on to the craft. A boat is soon densely packed with passengers, with a row of young men seen sitting astride the edge of the vessel. After the first boat is loaded up, remaining passengers watch on as it embarks on its journey into the Channel. Most of the children wear lifejackets ahead of the passage (pictured) It appears to pass very close to another vessel, before receding into the distance. Two French gendarmerie vehicles can be seen on the sand, with a small group of officers standing stationery as the events unfold. One policeman appears to be looking at his phone. Today's small boat passage comes after Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted Labour's 'one in, one out' scheme as a 'gimmick that just won't work'. He said: 'As far as we can see, removals under this scheme will only amount to six per cent of arrivals, meaning 94 per cent will stay. 'It will have no deterrent effect whatsoever. 'We also know that the agreement with France means any migrants claiming to be under 18, or who make a modern slavery or human rights claim, will not get removed. 'So this plan will get bogged down in an endless legal quagmire. Today's small boat passage (pictured) comes after Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted Labour's 'one in, one out' scheme as a 'gimmick that just won't work' 'Just like Sir Keir Starmer's claim to "smash the gangs", this is another gimmick that just won't work.' Former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said the Anglo-French deal - announced by Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron on July 10 and since approved by the European Commission - was a 'complete waste of time'. 'It's a fake. It's a phony, it's a cheat on the British people,' he said on GB News. 'It's a bogus deal, it's a complete waste of time. 'There's an extraordinary loophole that means almost no one can be deported.' Despite the narrow scope of the scheme and the fact it is likely to expire in less than 11 months, the PM has insisted on social media: 'If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back.' He added: 'No gimmicks, just results.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has previously said: 'Yesterday, under the terms of this groundbreaking new treaty, the first group of people to cross the Channel were detained after their arrival at Western Jet Foil [at Dover port] and will now be held in detention until they can be returned to France. 'That sends a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organised crime gangs to go to the UK that they will be risking their lives and throwing away their money if they get into a small boat. 'No-one should be making this illegal and dangerous journey that undermines our border security and lines the pockets of the criminal gangs.' She added: 'Criminal gangs have spent seven years embedding themselves along our border and it will take time to unravel them, but these detentions are an important step towards undermining their business model and unravelling the false promises they make. 'These are the early days for this pilot scheme, and it will develop over time. 'But we are on track to do what no other government has done since this crisis first started - sending small boat arrivals back to France and strengthening our borders through the Plan for Change.' As part of the treaty, Britain will accept migrants from France in exchange for small boat arrivals. That element of the scheme also began on Thursday, allowing migrants to lodge 'expressions of interest' on a specially-created Home Office website. It comes after a Cabinet minister appeared to contradict the terms of the new treaty with France earlier this week. Despite the narrow scope of the scheme and the fact it is likely to expire in less than 11 months, the PM has insisted on social media (pictured): 'If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) has previously said: 'Yesterday, under the terms of this groundbreaking new treaty, the first group of people to cross the Channel were detained after their arrival at Western Jet Foil [at Dover port]' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said small boat migrants sent back under the deal would see their human rights claims heard after being sent back to France. But it later emerged some types of human rights cases would, in fact, block the Home Office from being able to remove migrants in the first place. The treaty clearly sets out small boat migrants cannot be sent back to France if they have 'an outstanding human rights claim'. The Home Office confirmed some human rights claims will block migrants' removal until they have been concluded in full. It will include cases which cannot be formally 'certified' by officials as 'clearly unfounded'. The Mail has learned pro-migrant groups have begun informal discussions about launching a joint legal action against Labour's plan – just as they did against the Tories' Rwanda asylum scheme. Sources said there had already been 'a certain amount of co-ordination' between charities and other groups, with details of the treaty still being analysed. Meanwhile, the Free Movement website, which offers advice to immigration lawyers, published an analysis of the new measures earlier this week. The treaty clearly sets out small boat migrants cannot be sent back to France if they have 'an outstanding human rights claim'. Pictured: Passengers waiting for a boat at Gravelines beach today It said: 'Legal challenges will be more difficult than for Rwanda, however there are still likely to be grounds on which some people can resist removal to France. 'For example, if the inadmissibility decision was wrong, if people have family in the UK, or had experiences in France which make it inappropriate to send them back.' It means the Home Secretary is likely to face a huge legal battle to get the first migrants removed from Britain. Last month, the PM pledged migrants would be 'detained and returned to France in short order' under the agreement. But on Wednesday – the first day it was in force – Shadow Home Secretary Mr Philp posted videos from the Channel as he watched migrant boats bound for the UK coast, escorted by a French vessel.
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK threatens jail for people smugglers who advertise on social media
LONDON (Reuters) -People smugglers who use social media to promote their services to migrants seeking to enter Britain illegally could face five years in prison under plans announced by the government. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government is under huge political and public pressure to cut the number of migrants arriving illegally in small boats from France. More than 25,000 people have made the crossing so far this year. Analysis by the Interior Ministry showed around 80% of migrants arriving on small boats had used social media during their journey to find or communicate with people smugglers. Under a new offence, which will be added to legislation already passing through parliament, individuals who post online to advertise services that facilitate a breach of immigration laws will face fines and prison sentences of up to five years. It is already an offence to facilitate illegal immigration to Britain, but the government said its latest plan would give law enforcement agencies another option to disrupt the criminal gangs that profit from organising the crossings. Last month, the government launched a new sanctions regime allowing it to freeze assets, impose travel bans and block access to the country's financial system for individuals and entities involved in enabling irregular migration.
Reuters
06-06-2025
- General
- Reuters
Migrant acquitted in first trial over US border military zones
June 5 (Reuters) - A federal jury in Texas on Thursday acquitted the first migrant tried for entering one of the new military zones on the U.S.-Mexico border, marking a legal challenge to the Trump administration plan to raise penalties for illegal crossings. The trial of the 21-year-old Peruvian woman was a test of whether the federal government could levy extra charges against migrants who cross the border unlawfully into areas in Texas and New Mexico designated as restricted military areas. Adely Vanessa De La Cruz-Alvarez faced two charges for entering a Texas military zone and a charge for illegal entry into the United States after her May 12 arrest near Tornillo, about 30 miles east of El Paso, according to court documents. An El Paso jury on Thursday found the migrant guilty of illegal entry to the United States but not guilty of unlawfully entering military property. The judge in the case on Wednesday acquitted De La Cruz-Alvarez of a trespassing charge, ruling federal prosecutors produced no evidence the migrant saw any signs warning her that she was entering a Department of Defense restricted area. "There was zero testimony that Ms. De La Cruz (1) ever saw any such signage, (2) knew that the area was designated as any kind of a military zone, (3) had any intention, willfully or otherwise, to enter upon a military zone," Federal Magistrate Judge Laura Enriquez wrote in her ruling. Federal prosecutors argued they did not need to prove De La Cruz knew she was trespassing on military land to charge her for the act, only that she knew she was illegally entering the United States. Alvarez's lawyer Veronica Teresa Lerma did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The El Paso trial comes after federal magistrate judges in New Mexico, opens new tab and Texas dismissed trespassing charges against dozens of migrants on grounds they did not know they were on military land due to inadequate signage. The National Defense Areas were set up along 240 miles of the border in New Mexico and Texas starting in April. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said migrants caught in them could face combined penalties of up to ten years' imprisonment.
