LONDON - Britain and France have signed a three-year deal to clamp down on illegal migration across the English Channel, under which London will pay 500 million pounds ($673 million) to Paris.
The deal is for French police to be able to stop the movement of illegal migrants, according to the British Ministry of the Interior.
Previously in March, Britain and France were reported to have failed to reach a new agreement on handling migrants crossing the English Channel and agreed to extend the previous agreement signed in 2023 for two months.
"Britain and France today signed an agreement to strengthen operations in the fight against illegal migration in northern France to prevent crossings to Britain with a significant increase in human resources, technology, and intelligence," the ministry said in a statement reported by ANTARA from Sputnik/RIA Novosti-OANA, Friday, April 24.
"In this new partnership, 500 million pounds will be invested to strengthen the surveillance system in northern France," the ministry statement continued.
The funding will be used to increase the number of police patrolling the French coast from around 900 personnel to almost 1,400 personnel by 2029.
France will also deploy an Operational Support Group to deal with illegal migration by utilizing drones, helicopters, and various other equipment.
In addition, a temporary detention center for migrants to be deported is reportedly being built in Dunkirk.
London will also allocate an additional 161 million pounds if the project is judged to be successful in the future.
Throughout 2025, more than 41,000 illegal migrants arrived in the UK by boat through the English Channel.
The figure is the second highest after the record in 2022, when more than 45,700 migrants reached the UK.
The British government currently spends up to millions of pounds every day to accommodate asylum seekers in hotels.
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