Deal to stop migrant crossings

PARIS, France (AFP) — Britain and France have agreed a new three-year deal to stop undocumented migrants making the risky journey across the English Channel, according to a French interior ministry roadmap seen by Agence France-Presse Wednesday.

Under the deal, France pledged to increase law enforcement on the coast by more than half to fight irregular migration to Britain — reaching 1,400 officers by 2029.

Britain will meanwhile provide up to 766 million euros ($897 million) in funding — though nearly a quarter of that will have strings attached and be paid only if the French measures work.

The cross-Channel neighbors have been wrangling for months over the renewal of the Sandhurst treaty, which sets out the United Kingdom’s financial contribution to French efforts to stop migrants attempting the perilous sea crossing in the hope of reaching Britain.

The UK has long accused France of doing too little to prevent would-be asylum seekers — a hot-button issue in British politics — from setting off from French shores, with smugglers and migrants taking ever-greater risks to avoid detection.