United Kingdom and France agree to crack down on migrant crossings in the English Channel

Judy Woodruff:

Britain will pay France at least $75 million a year in a deal designed to reduce illegal migration across the English Channel. A record 40,000 asylum seekers have crossed so far this year.

As part of the deal signed today, the French will step up efforts to stop people smugglers, and British officers will be stationed in French immigration control centers.

Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports.

Malcolm Brabant:

Sunrise on Saturday near Dover, 25 miles across the Channel from France. After weeks of bad weather, the wind had dropped, the sea was flat, creating near perfect conditions for the inflatables used by traffickers to transport the poor and the desperate.

Patrol vessels were out early. The British knew it was going to be hectic. And it wasn't long before the first arrivals were brought ashore at Dover. Almost 1,000 irregular migrants were registered in 24 hours. It was one of the busiest days this year, and pushed the numbers over the 40,000 mark.

Suella Braverman, British Home Secretary:

Illegal migration, particularly in the numbers that we have been seeing more recently, is totally unacceptable.

Malcolm Brabant:

Britain's home secretary, Suella Braverman, adopted a restrained tone after signing the new deal in Paris. When dealing with the issue of migration in the bear pit of Britain's Parliament, she frequently uses more strident language.

Suella Braverman:

The British people deserve to know which party is serious about stopping the invasion on our southern coast.

Malcolm Brabant:

Previous deals between Britain and France that have cost London tens of millions of dollars have failed to stop the tide of illicit migration.

But the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is upbeat about this one, because he believes that relations between London and Paris have improved since he took office.

Arriving in Indonesia for the G20 summit, Sunak refused to guarantee that the new French deal would lead to a fall in migrant numbers.

Rishi Sunak, British Prime Minister:

I'm confident that we can get the numbers down, but I also want to be honest with people that it isn't a single thing that will magically solve this. We can't do it overnight. But people should be absolutely reassured that this is a top priority for me. I'm gripping it.

Malcolm Brabant:

The deal was condemned by the human rights group Amnesty International, which accused the government of perpetuating dreadful human suffering by recycling the same failed response.

It's estimated that 12,000 young men from peaceful Albania have reached Britain this year. Officials fear many are forced to pay for their trips by working in criminal enterprises run by the ruthless Albanian mafia in the U.K.

Dan O'Mahoney is in charge of countering the perceived threat from clandestine migration.

Dan O'Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander:

Whatever sort of criminality you can think of, the most serious, or there are Albanian criminal gangs who are dominating in those markets, be it drug smuggling, human trafficking, guns, prostitution.

Malcolm Brabant:

There's been a backlash against what some see as the demonization of Albanian asylum seekers.

The country's prime minister is Edi Rama.

Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania: To talk about gangsters and about criminals doesn't sound really something that is very British. Sounds more like screams from a madhouse.

Malcolm Brabant:

British officials predict the influx could top 50,000 by year's end.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Malcolm Brabant on England's South Coast.