Tell it to the Dunkirk Brits*

More than 4,100 migrants and refugees have reached the UK this year in small boats making the dangerous crossing across the world’s busiest shipping lane.

[...]

The [British] government has faced growing criticism over its handling of the [refugee] crisis, which has been described as “increasingly chaotic”.

Johnson said on Monday: “There’s no doubt that it would be helpful if we could work with our French friends to stop them [migrants] getting over the Channel. Be in no doubt, what’s going on is the activity of cruel and criminal gangs who are risking the lives of these people taking them across the Channel, a pretty dangerous stretch of water, in potentially unseaworthy vessels.

“We want to stop that, working with the French, make sure that they understand that this isn’t a good idea, this is a very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do. But then there’s a second thing we’ve got to do, and that is to look at the legal framework that we have that means that when people do get here, it is very, very difficult to then send them away again, even though blatantly they’ve come here illegally.”

[...]

On Tuesday the immigration minister, Chris Philp, is due to hold the latest round of talks with French counterparts in Paris.

The Calais MP, Pierre-Henri Dumont, when asked about involving the navy, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is a political measure to show some kind of resource to fight against smugglers and illegal crossings in the Channel, but technically speaking that won’t change anything.”

Asked if it might be a deterrent, he said: “Yes, but that’s dangerous, because if there is a vessel from the Royal Navy trying to push a vessel, a very small boat full with migrants, back into French waters – first you could say that you’ve got British vessels entering French waters, I don’t know if the British government would be very happy to see the other way, if French vessels would enter without any asking before or without any decision before, into British waters.”

[...]

As a preliminary step, an RAF A400M Atlas transport plane was dispatched to support the Border Force, making it easier to pick out inflatable boats and other small craft attempting to make the crossing from France. Further military deployments could follow later this week following discussions with France, although there is currently no scope for Royal Navy vessels to operate in French territorial waters to pick up migrants.

[...]

The former Home Office permanent secretary Sir David Normington told the Today programme he was “a bit sceptical” about using the navy. In his view the only solution was to work with French officials to “persuade them to intensify their efforts to stop illegal migrants”.

  Guardian

Unless England has something to hold over the French, like the US does over Mexico, unlike Mexico, France probably isn't going to be too concerned about migrants going to England.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

*Operation Dynamo