All these channel crossers seeking asylum..

[Mottie]

....why aren’t they towed straight back to within 10 metres of the French coast, their boats harpooned and told to swim for it?

I thought asylum seekers were supposed to seek asylum in the first safe country they land in. Just shows you what a reputation we must have abroad as an easy touch.

 

[Doppleganger]

....why aren’t they taken straight back to France and then the French can send them back to Italy?

I thought asylum seekers were supposed to seek asylum in the first safe country they land in. Just shows you what a reputation we must have abroad as an easy touch.

Because, if we simply take them back to France and land them on some beach somewhere, we (the UK border force) would be people traffickers.

If we take them back to France and hand them over to French border control, they (the French) will simply refuse the migrants permission to enter France, because we are not part of Schengen.
Then it would be down to some court (the ECJ perhaps, although we do not want to be part of the jurisdiction of the ECJ) to argue the case for the migrants point of departure..........A long winded, perilous legal journey.

It is much more convoluted than simply taking them back to their point of departure.
As far as I can see, the only legally available route is to determine their original nationality and repatriate them to that country, or grant them refugee status, or something similar.

It's not about being seen as "an easy touch", more a land of opportunity. But that perception will reduce over time following Brexit.
Perhaps UK is their preferred destination because they already speak some English, they have relatives, friends here, etc.

Incidentally, this is not just the problem between UK and France. The same problem applies in the Mediterranean, and always has done.
That is why it is necessary to work with those countrys' point of departure, or to patrol as close as possible to that point of departure to prevent the migrants leaving, rather than trying to return them back to that point of departure.

Of course, the UK government is not going to own up to their failure to prevent the migrants leaving France, or wherever. They prefer instead to blame the French or the migrants.

Imagine, if you will, if the reverse situation were to apply
How would UK prevent small parties leaving some beach, somewhere in the UK, to sail away to some other destination.
Pretty impossible to prevent, without vast resources.

 

[Notch7]

Clearly these are desperate people. They pay traffickers cast amounts of money for the chance to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, in a small dingy.

These people are also headed for countries where they arent wanted.

I feel very sorry for these asylum seekers, it is an awful tragedy for them.

 

[Doppleganger]

Clearly these are desperate people.

Quite!
One only has to read the stories of refugees fleeing war zones, etc to understand their plight.
It is often a choice between dying (as collateral damage, starvation, etc) at home, or risking a perilous journey with only a small chance of success.
Of course, the migrants in EU are no longer at risk, but they probably were at their original point of departure.

Going back to Motman's point, what is needed is a coordinated effort, from all EU member states, rather than the current "it's not our problem" approach.

Now shall we discuss Angela Merkel's approach?

 

[transam]

It's a French conspiracy

 

[ban-all-sheds]

....why aren’t they towed straight back to within 10 metres of the French coast, their boats harpooned and told to swim for it?

Because the procedures for rescuing people at sea are not written by hate-filled murderous scumbags.

 

[Doppleganger]

....why aren’t they taken straight back to France and then the French can send them back to Italy

....why aren’t they towed straight back to within 10 metres of the French coast, their boats harpooned and told to swim for it?

Because the procedures for rescuing people at sea are not written by hate-filled murderous scumbags.

I've only just noticed that Motman edited his original post to his "hate-filled murderous scumbags" comment.
Does that mean that his subsequent edited post was his version of a "well-considered comment"?

 

[SirGalahad]

Looks like about 400 people have been captured attempting this crossing.

We need to increase spending on sea crossing security - yes there have been cuts.

The best way is to process these people as quickly and efficiently as possible.

These people attempt the crossing to the UK as they may have family here, can speak a bit of English.

We need a huge crackdown on people smugglers.

 

[Doppleganger]

The best way is to process these people as quickly and efficiently as possible.

And compassionately.
Clearly they were desperate people.

 

[transam]

And compassionately.
Clearly they were desperate people.

Desperate to leave France

Which I suppose does make sense

 

[SirGalahad]

....why aren’t they towed straight back to within 10 metres of the French coast, their boats harpooned and told to swim for it?

I thought asylum seekers were supposed to seek asylum in the first safe country they land in. Just shows you what a reputation we must have abroad as an easy touch.

We are not an easy touch no matter what you read.

The first port of call countries where many of these people enter Europe do not want to offer them asylum. They feel that these people should be spread out throughout the EU as its unfair on them as they are border countries for them to take these people.

 

[Notch7]

Listening to a guy who worked in processing asylum seekers, he said the key would be to crack down on the smuggling gangs.

 

[SirGalahad]

Listening to a guy who worked in processing asylum seekers, he said the key would be to crack down on the smuggling gangs.

Indeed.

 

[transam]

Best the EU continue to pay off Turkey or they will open up there border again

 

[transam]

Those crossing the channel who bring small children on them boats should be arrested for negligence and dealt with accordingly