Overview

• French authorities will change maritime rules to allow police, gendarmes and coastguard vessels to stop small boats within 300 metres of French beaches ahead of the July Franco-British summit.
• Officers will enter shallow waters armed with shields, batons and CS gas to force overloaded dinghies back to shore and deter boarding.
• Utopia56 and Care4Calais are preparing human rights challenges in European courts, arguing the interceptions breach international law and endanger asylum seekers.
• Migrants at camps near Calais, including Sudanese and Afghan nationals, say they remain determined to retry crossings despite intensified patrols and pushbacks.
• According to Home Office figures, nearly 17,000 people have crossed so far in 2025, following 73 fatalities in 2024 and nine reported deaths or missing cases this year.