As one of several steps taken by the French government to curb immigration, a floating dam was set up at the port of Madelon to block vessels carrying lawful immigrants bound for Britain.
Several French news outlets reported today that the departments of La Somme and Pas-de-Calais had chosen to put the "floating dam" technology to the test by sending migrant boats over the Channel.
Twelve attempts at crossing the Gulf of Authy using this approach were recorded by French police in the last few months.
A floating dam in the port of Madeleine to confront illegal immigration
A floating dam will be constructed over the Port of Madelon, according to a joint announcement by the two governorates. The floating barrier is made up of solid buoys that stretch over over 200 meters in the Wabin and Quind towns. It stops small boats from leaving the Port of Madelon to sail to the UK.
In addition, a provincial ordinance published on January 10, 2024, by the administration, decided to temporarily limit navigation and marine activity. The officials shied away from saying how much longer this "floating dam" will be in operation.
Joint measures to combat illegal immigration
He called the concerted efforts by French and British security agencies to manage immigration "disappointing," and he slammed Britain for not doing enough to share data that would make borders more secure and reduce the number of people trying to cross the English Channel from the north French coast.
The British government is very strict towards migrants and has pledged to end arrivals through the Channel entirely. This comes after thousands of migrants crossed the English Channel on small boats, with an estimated 30,000 having arrived in 2023.
Dismantling the work of illegal immigration networks
Remarkably, since 2018, France and the UK have been working together on this matter via the Joint Coordination and Information Center (CCIC). This center houses an operations room that is open around the clock near the port of Calais, and it brings together operational services from both countries, as well as port operators. The tunnel in Europe, too. In the summer of 2020, it also formed the Operational Intelligence Unit (URO), whose mission is to disrupt smuggling networks.
Notably, at least 27 people drowned in the English Channel in the worst drowning incident ever recorded. French authorities were accused by investigators of failing to rescue the migrants, but the British insisted that the sinking boat was their responsibility because of its sailing location.
After 38 migrants boarded a drifting boat and entered Kingdom territorial waters approximately one year ago, French agency members claimed that British rescue services had abandoned the mission to save them, even though French authorities had confirmed that they had communicated with the British side.
