Radio interview 2015 by John Fitzsimons

Small Boat crossings

Small boat crossings remain controversial and form the ‘headline’ measure of the UK's attempt to control immigration. Politicians use this measure to criticise government policies and propose that they would do a better job. The experience of those who end up in these boats is rarely publicised or explained.

The Red Cross list a number of reasons why refugees use small boats to enter the UK:

Fleeing an even more dangerous situation

Joining a family already in the UK

Knowing some of the language

People Smugglers dictate journeys

Lack of legal alternative routes

see link https://www.redcross.org.uk/stories/migration-and-displacement/refugees-and-asylum-seekers/5-reasons-people-cross-the-channel for a full discussion

The picture is complex and difficult. A full analysis of refugee migration using small boats can be found at the Migration Observatoy at The University of Oxford.

See link here: https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/people-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/ for an indepth analysis and historical perspective.