In an effort to curb small boats that bring illegal migrants to the UK, French authorities have conducted their first on-water interception. French officials arrested two people in the port city of Calais on Monday for inciting hate against migrants, further intensifying their inland operations.
French officers boarded a so-called “taxi-boat” on the Aa canal in Gravelines, on the Channel coast above Calais.
First Success of New Policy
It comes after a shift in strategy was decided upon in November in response to mounting pressure from the UK government to increase initiatives.
Several individuals, who appear to be people-smugglers, are seen on an inflatable dinghy with the police launch next to them in an image of the operation’s aftermath that the BBC was able to obtain. After that, the inflatable is hauled to the dock.
The French marine prefecture merely stated that “an ongoing judicial investigation” was underway in relation to the tiny boat, declining to speak to the BBC.
At a summit between Sir Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron in the UK last July, France agreed to the new strategies.
Up until that point, French police had only stepped in to prevent small boats from launching on beaches. It was decided that intervening at sea would be too risky.
In order to evade the authorities, smugglers’ gangs learnt to use “taxi-boats,” which enter the water a considerable distance away and then proceed down the coast to pick up groups of migrants who then enter the water to board.
With an 81% success rate in 2025, this approach was proving to be very successful, according to official French documents.
Though it was less than the peak of 45,774 in 2022, the number of migrants who arrived in the UK from France increased last year from 36,566 in 2024 to 41,472.
British Citizens Arrested in Calais
French officials reported on Monday that two British citizens who were suspected of travelling to France to participate in a prohibited far-right demonstration against migrants had been detained.
Pas-de-Calais prefect Francois-Xavier Lauch said the AFP news agency that the two males, who were live-streaming videos from the French shore, were taken into custody on Sunday night close to the northern town of Calais.
According to Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor Cecile Gressier, the two males were arrested for inciting hatred and joining a group with the intention of planning violent crimes based on remarks made on social media.
