Overview
- Humans for Rights Network released a 176-page report with evidence from NGOs in northern France and the UK alleging that UK-backed operations have escalated state and criminal violence at the border.
- The report documents French police use of teargas and rubber bullets and links these tactics to hundreds of millions of pounds in UK funding for patrols, surveillance and enforcement.
- Small-boat arrivals remain high with more than 39,000 crossings so far in 2025, higher than last year and below the 2022 peak, despite expanded deterrence spending.
- NGOs record worsening harms, citing 2024 as the deadliest year on the route with 89 deaths and reporting increasing smuggler violence in 2025, including at least four people shot dead around Dunkirk.
- The report calls for a statutory inquiry, transparency over spending and contracts, a pause on security funding and the creation of safe routes, as the Home Office highlights over 21,000 prevented attempts and new detention and removal powers under a bilateral deal.