The Home Office is facing calls to introduce 10,000 refugee visas in an effort to reduce the death toll from people crossing the Channel in small boats, after a record number of lives were lost in 2024.
The groundbreaking proposal aimed at stopping migrants from resorting to using smugglers is contained in a report published on Thursday by the Refugee Council, titled Deaths in the Channel – what needs to change.
It warns that unless a new approach is taken, this year could see a further increase in deaths. It also calls for better documentation of fatalities by French and UK authorities – including the age, gender and nationality of victims wherever possible – as well as improved search and rescue facilities along the coast of northern France.
At least 69 men, women and children died attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, more than the total of 59 deaths between 2019 and 2023. It is feared the true number could be higher.
As a result of increased enforcement by French police on beaches along the northern coast, funded by UK government money, embarkations on flimsy dinghies have become more risky, chaotic and overcrowded – with police using teargas and slashing dinghies with knives.
Amid the shoreline confusion, some people try to board the boats without having first paid the smugglers. Last year’s deaths occurred closer to the French shore.
The report comes as analysis from Press Association shows that Channel crossings increased by a quarter in 2024 compared with the figure in 2023. Numbers were up from 29,437 in 2023 to 36,816 last year. This is the second highest number since crossings began in 2018, but lower than the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
Despite the significant increase in crossings in 2024, the first half of the year on the watch of the previous government and the second half presided over by the current one, ministers insist they are making progress with smashing the business model of the people smugglers. So far they have rejected calls to introduce safe and legal routes for refugees to travel to the UK.
The Refugee Council report cites a US scheme introduced under the administration of Joe Biden in which enforcement at the border with Mexico was deployed along with a sponsorship scheme for 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to come to the US legally, along with 24,000 new refugee resettlement places. The two-pronged approach significantly reduced irregular entry to the US from an average of 200,000 people a month in 2022 and 2023, to 54,000 in September 2024.
The pilot refugee visa scheme should focus on high refugee grant rate countries such as Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan, according to the Refugee Council. It warns that: “As 2024 progressed and the number of deaths increased there was a danger of loss of life becoming normalised; an acceptance that this is something that happens.”
Fears that the death toll could be higher than the figure officially recorded are supported by anecdotal reports from those who have witnessed people going overboard in 2024.
In an incident on 3 September 2024 where six children and a pregnant woman were among 12 reported deaths, some witnesses said they believed the true death toll was 15. According to evidence from a child who crossed the Channel on 19 July 2024, they witnessed another child on the journey go overboard and drown.
Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said: “The record number of deaths in the Channel in 2024 should serve as a stark reminder that the current approach is not working. Smuggling gangs are profiting from men, women and children forced into life-threatening conditions, and enforcement measures alone are not enough to address this.
“The total number of deaths may well be even higher because the lack of monitoring by the French and UK authorities means there isn’t an accurate picture.
“More safe and legal routes are needed to provide a lifeline for those fleeing war and persecution. The government needs to take a different approach if it is to ensure everything possible is done so that 2025 does not see a repeat of last year’s devastating loss.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Every life lost at sea is a tragedy, which is why our efforts are focused on saving lives, as well as protecting our borders.
“The people smuggling gangs only care about profit and we are seeing their behaviour adapt, with more people crammed into flimsy and dangerous boats.
“Our joint work with France in preventing crossings is about stopping people putting themselves and others at risk.”
