UK to pay $576 million in deal with France to curb illegal immigration

• The agreement was revealed on Friday.
• The funds would be used to build a new detention center for migrants.
• The two presidents met to emphasize their nations’ deep ties.

The United Kingdom announced on Friday that it will pay $576 million over the next three years to France as part of a deal to curb illegal immigration over the English Channel.

The agreement was revealed on Friday during a combined summit in Paris between British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his French colleague Emmanuel Macron.

According to a joint statement from the two countries, the funds would be used to build a new detention center for migrants in France as well as to deploy 500 French security and support personnel “to enable the fastest detection of attempted crossings” by small boats.

Following several years of difficulties over post-Brexit discussions, fishing rights, a submarine deal with Australia, and immigration, the two presidents met on Friday to emphasize their nations’ deep ties.

Between UK and EU

“The level of ambition of this plan is exactly what we need,” Macron said, adding, “this is not an agreement between UK and France but between UK and EU.”

Sunak, who is under fire from human rights groups for his efforts to halt cross-channel immigration with a new rule that has been called racist, illegal, and impracticable, has stated that the UK “will always comply with its international treaty responsibilities.”

The number of unlawful migrants who pay human trafficking groups to get them into the UK in small, unseaworthy boats has increased in the UK. Many of these vessels have sunk, and many people have perished as a result.

The Elysee Palace’s 19-page joint statement centered on the possibility of further defense collaboration between the two nuclear powers, from the deployment of fighter fighters on each other’s aircraft carriers to the cooperative manufacturing of future cruise missiles.

About Ukraine, the presidents promised deeper cooperation, particularly in terms of providing equipment and munitions to Kyiv.

They also committed support for Ukrainian marine training in the UK, as well as offering to pursue “security assurances” with Ukraine “that would help [Kyiv] defend itself long-term and to block potential future attacks,” according to the joint statement.

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