More women and children may try to cross the Channel this summer, according to charities, after people smugglers informed them that only young males would be returned to Rwanda.
According to recent statistics, a record number of youngsters are crossing the English Channel in tiny boats.
In the first five months of 2022, more unaccompanied youngsters crossed the border from continental Europe than in the first nine months of 2021.
Today, between 150 and 200 people have been rescued in the Channel, but stormy conditions are predicted to hinder more crossings.
The surge was caused by warmer weather and calmer seas, according to Pierre Roques, a manager at the L’Auberge des Migrants organization.
‘Given the time of year we’re approaching with the good weather, there are a lot more people coming in the camps [in Calais], so we’re going to be anticipating a lot more families to cross around this time,’ he told The Telegraph.
At least 900 migrants have crossed the Channel this week, bringing the total number of migrants crossing this year to 11,000, more than double the number at the same period last year.
The warnings come as Home Secretary Priti Patel prepares to start an ad campaign aimed at migrants to challenge people traffickers’ narratives in attempt to dissuade Channel crossings.
The campaign’s goal is to warn migrants in northern France and Belgium that even if they make it across the English Channel and into the UK, they ‘may be on their way to Rwanda.’
The ads will appear on Facebook and Instagram and will be in Arabic, Kurdish, Pashto, Vietnamese, and Farsi, with Arabic, Kurdish, Pashto, Vietnamese, and Farsi being the target languages.
Only unaccompanied children are immune from deportation to Rwanda, according to the Home Office.
‘Evil criminal gangs are putting profit before of lives by enabling risky and unlawful small boat crossings,’ a Home Office official said.
We have a responsibility to inform people about the dangers of these travels and expose the falsehoods that cruel smugglers sell to vulnerable individuals.
‘When considering life-threatening efforts to cross the Channel, it is critical that individuals have proper information and be aware that there are safe options.’
The campaign’s message is clear: do not entrust your life to dangerous criminals.’
‘It is quite concerning to learn that so many of people crossing the channel right now are women and children,’ said Enver Solomon, the Refugee Council’s chief executive.
‘No one puts their own or their family’s lives at jeopardy unless they are fleeing more serious perils than those they confront on these perilous treks.’ It’s past time for our administration to have a mature discussion about sharing responsibilities with France and the EU.’
The latest failure in the government’s anti-crossing efforts came only days after European courts stopped the Home Office’s first planned deportation flight to Rwanda at the last minute.
The verdict has thrown Priti Patel’s hallmark initiative into disarray.
The extraordinary intervention came from an out-of-hours European Court of Human Rights judge, who informed the crew that the Boeing 767 could not take off as planned because the runway lights at MOD Boscombe Down, Salisbury, were turned off soon before the clock struck 10.30pm.
Despite reports that just seven migrants will be removed from the UK on Tuesday, furious ministers had previously stated that the flight would go on even if only one person was on board.
However, in a last-minute twist, all asylum applicants scheduled to be taken from the first plane to Kigali departed from the plane prior to departure, causing the trip to be canceled.
After days of recent challenges in British courts, an out-of-hours judge was considering the remaining applications on paper, with Home Office sources warning that the first planned aircraft would not take off.
The dramatic change on Tuesday puts ministers on a collision course with the Strasbourg court, which is distinct from the European Union and part of the Council of Europe.
In July, the High Court will convene a judicial review to determine the validity of the Rwanda program.