Overview

• A small boat aiming for the UK returned to Équihen beach on July 26, where emergency crews found a man in cardiac arrest who was later declared dead.
• The Pas-de-Calais prosecutor has launched a formal investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the migrant’s death.
• The Interior Ministry confirms 17 migrants have died this year attempting to cross the Channel in smuggler-organized dinghies.
• On July 10, France and the UK enacted a return-for-acceptance deal obligating London to take in one migrant for each clandestine return to France.
• Paris plans to change its maritime intervention doctrine to let police and gendarmes intercept migrant boats up to 300 meters offshore despite current rescue-only obligations.