France and Britain agree to complete closure of Sangatte and tighter border controls

France and Britain agree to complete closure of Sangatte and tighter border controls, from Refugee Council.

2nd December 2002

"The Home Secretary David Blunkett this morning met with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkosy, to discuss the future of the Sangatte refugee Camp and migration controls. In this latest in a series of meetings between the two men, the complete closure of the Red Cross camp on 30th December of this year was agreed.

The Government also announced that immigration borders would be extended to French soil, working towards legal agreements to enable UK immigration officers at Calais to operate full UK border controls. The Nationality, Immigration & Asylum Act 2002 introduces a number of measures aimed at reducing illegal immigration to the UK.

Juxtaposed controls allow the UK to operate full immigration controls in any European Economic Area port (the European Union as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein). They are specifically aimed at reducing the number of asylum seekers who have travelled on ferries from Calais.

Other measures announced today included:

by Christmas, every vehicle travelling through Calais will be searched;

the UK will provide detection equipment for use at other French ports;

the UK made a commitment to take responsibility for around 1,000 Iraqi Kurds who will be brought to the UK on work visas, not as asylum seekers. The UK will also admit around 200 Afghans identified by the UNHCR, which has had a presence in the camp since it stopped accepting new arrivals on 5 November, as having strong family links to the UK.

the French government will take responsibility for the remaining people at Sangatte, estimated to be around 300, as well as those who are being housed elsewhere, and those who continue to turn up in the area.

These measures effectively prevent people in need of protection - as much as those with unfounded claims - from setting foot in the UK, where they would be entitled to protection under international law.

Julia Purcell, International Development Manager, of the Refugee Council said:

“We are pleased that the Government has reached a rational conclusion in dealing with the people who have been sheltering in Sangatte. Iraqis make up the vast majority of those in Sangatte who will be allowed to come to Britain.

“We are concerned that David Blunkett is blurring the definitions of economic migrants and refugees - let us be plain, these people have very clear protection needs, and are refugees. No one can be in any doubt that Iraqis have every reason to flee that country, as Jack Straw himself gave evidence of this morning in his dossier of human rights violations in Iraq.

“It is absolutely essential that people fleeing persecution have access to safety. The only long-term solution for dealing with refugees in Europe is proper harmonization of asylum policy, and fair and equitable sharing of responsibility, which takes into account family and community ties.

“Britain’s proposals to extend immigration controls beyond our own borders is a worrying precedent and flies in the face of Britain’s international obligations to play its role in providing sanctuary to refugees.”

End

Source: Refugee Council

Home Office statement

Reference: 335/2002 - Date: 2 Dec 2002 12:24

The UK border will effectively soon start on the other side of the English Channel, and Sangatte Red Cross Centre will close completely on 30 December, four months earlier than planned, the Home Secretary announced today.

The ground-breaking deal with the French government means that the UK will be able to stop illegal immigrants before they even set off for England, and thousands of illegal immigrants will no longer be able to use Sangatte as a staging post on their way to the UK.

Speaking after the latest in a series of meetings with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr Blunkett said:

"This agreement not only closes Sangatte by the end of the year, it will also shut off the routes used by illegal immigrants to get to the UK from France. It effectively pushes our border controls across the Channel to the French coast, where stronger controls and tighter security will mean we can prevent illegal immigrants getting to the UK in the first place.

"I am very pleased that the Sangatte centre will close for good on 30 December – four months earlier than originally planned. The centre has been a magnet for illegal immigrants over the past three years. Around 67,000 people have passed through it, and it has been a festering sore in Anglo-French relations. Its closure is a major achievement.

"I pay tribute to Nicolas Sarkozy, who has taken decisive action to deal with illegal immigrants arriving in the Calais area since 5 November, when Sangatte closed to new arrivals. He has 1,000 gendarmes in the Calais area and has dealt with hundreds of illegal immigrants there. Six major trafficking gangs have been disrupted, and nearly 250 people smugglers arrested.

"Since our talks started, we have achieved vastly improved security at Frethun and Coquelles; UK immigration officers are working towards establishing whole new immigration controls at Calais; high-tech freight searching is rooting out illegal immigrants hidden in lorries travelling to the UK; the French authorities no longer tolerate illegal immigrants on the streets in Calais; and we have an agreement with the French and Belgians that will allow us to deploy immigration officers and detection equipment right along the European coast where needed. This is a breakthrough of enormous proportions and is a united front against the organised gangs who traffic human beings across Europe. The significance of what we are doing is clear.

"Today’s announcement also shows the importance of the radical reform measures in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, without which we would never have had secured this important deal with France and which were bitterly opposed throughout its Parliamentary journey."

The full deal agreed between the French and UK Governments today is:

the French Government will hand back the Sangatte centre to Eurotunnel on 30 December;

high-tech freight searching of vehicles at Calais will be ramped up so that by Christmas, each and every vehicle travelling to England through Calais will be searched for clandestines;

with the support of the French government, the UK will provide detection equipment for use at other French ports – initially at Cherbourg and Dunkirk. Along with our existing agreement with the Belgian government, this will effectively seal off French and Belgian ferry ports to clandestines and will protect the key section of the north European coast;

both Governments will continue to work towards a formal legal agreement to enable UK immigration officers at Calais to operate full UK border controls;

the UK Government will take responsibility for just under 1,000 Iraqi Kurds, who will be brought to the UK, not as asylum seekers, but on work visas;

in addition, a number of Afghans (around 200 people) identified by the UNHCR as having strong family links to the UK will be admitted; and
the French government will take responsibility for all the remaining residents of the Sangatte centre (around 300 people), those they are already housing elsewhere or have already deported (around 500). The French will also deal with any illegal immigrants who continue to turn up in the area (currently running at around 10 per week).

The Home Secretary said:

"We have struck a unique deal to close Sangatte once and for all. The French government has done an enormous amount to get us to this position, and the UK must also take some of the responsibly for solving this joint problem - clearly it is in our interest to stop the flow of illegal immigrants from France. After all, this is about people attempting to leave France to enter Britain, not the other way around.

"As part of the final closure deal we will take a fair proportion of those in and around Sangatte. They will not come here as asylum seekers, however, but on ‘work permits’, to contribute and pay taxes, rather than being dependent on support.

"I have made it clear repeatedly that there is a clear difference between economic migration routes and our asylum system, which is there to protect those fleeing persecution – it is not a way for people to come here simply because they want to work. We are opening up more and more ways for people to come and work here legally in ways which boost our economy. In addition we are looking at targeting economic migration routes in the countries and regions which either generate large numbers of unfounded asylum claims or through which large numbers transit on their way to the UK. This work will build on the measures already announced by myself and the Chancellor in the pre budget report. "

The wider deal with France, previously announced, includes:

vastly improved security at Frethun and Coquelles to stop clandesines hiding on trains – including better fencing, security lighting and video surveillance, infrared barriers, alarm systems, plus more gendarmes and security personnel;

UK immigration officers working closely with their French counterparts to check passengers at Calais to stop those without proper documents before they even set off for Britain;

high-tech searching of vehicles at Calais to root out would-be clandestines hidden in vehicles before they leave France; and
joint intelligence work to disrupt trafficking routes.

At a domestic level, both governments are tightening up their asylum systems. The French government is bringing in tough new immigration measures and is to deploy an additional 750 border police. The UK Government has brought in a raft of measures to tackle asylum abuse – including ending the ability of asylum seekers to work, ending support for those who apply late, introducing a list of safe countries from which asylum claims will be presumed to be unfounded and will have no right of appeal in the UK, and tackling illegal working. That process continued last week when new restrictions on the use of Exceptional Leave to Remain were confirmed.

The UK Government will continue to work with the French government to deal with the specific problems at the channel border, but will also work with other European governments, including Belgium and the Netherlands as a priority. Asylum is ultimately a European issue, which needs a European response.

Notes to editors:

Sangatte closed it doors to new entrants on 5 November 2002 (Home Office press notice 289/02).

The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act received Royal Assent on 8 November 2002 (Home Office press notice 294/02).

The Home Secretary announced the review of ELR on 7 November 2002 (Home Office press notice 267/02) and the outcome of that review was announced on 29 November 2002 (Home Office press notice 332/02). ELR.

Local (provisional) management figures show the impact of the agreement with France:

Frethun: There has been significant progress at Frethun freight yard in terms of security infrastructure and personnel. The 4km long and 3m high double fence around the site is now complete; 100 gendarmes have been posted to Frethun and the surrounding areas since August; and there are also around 35 SNCF security personnel patrolling the area. Following the improved security controls at Frethun, clandestine entrants arriving at Dollands Moor freight yard have fallen from nearly 400 in April to only seven in the first three weeks of November.

Freight searching at Calais: Since September the UK has lent the French authorities a heartbeat sensor to check freight at Calais, and a second sensor with be provided shortly. Two Passive Millimetric Wave Imagers have also been operating at the port since October. The Calais port authority will have the capability to search 100 per cent of road freight by Christmas.

UK immigration officers at Calais: UK immigration officers have been in place at Calais seaport since 20 August. To date they have refused boarding to 186 passengers. They assist their French counterpart as part of phased implementation of juxtaposed controls at Calais. They are there to assist in the detection of forged documents, not to make a decision about whether someone should be allowed to leave France for England. However, they will advise the French authorities as to whether the documents are likely to be accepted in the UK. The French and UK governments are discussing the terms of a bi-lateral agreement that will enable UK immigration officers to operate frontier control powers within a defined control zone in Calais and, where needed, at other French ports. These arrangements will also enable French officers to operate in Dover.

Eurostar: Since June 2001, the UK has been operating immigration controls at Eurostar stations in France which have significantly cut the numbers of passengers without proper documents arriving at Waterloo from 250 a handful each week.

Coquelles: Eurotunnel has significantly increased security around its Coquelles depot. These measures have significantly reduced the number of illegal immigrants detected at Cheriton from 808 clandestine entrants in July 2001 to 70 so far this month.

Source: Home Office