Drone footage released by the UK’s Border Security Command on Thursday shows French police intercepting migrants attempting to cross the English Channel illegally.

The officers moved in on the beach as dozens of migrants wearing life jackets were pushing an inflatable boat towards the water in an attempt to cross from France to Britain. Some migrants threw stones at the officers, who used pepper spray and slashed the boat with knives, according to ITV.

Around 15,900 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, down 43% from the same period last year, officials said. The UK Home Office announced on Thursday that more than 80,000 criminals and immigration offenders have been deported since July 2024.

“Returns have reached a near-decade high, with removals now at their highest level since 2016,” the Home Office added.

Immigration remains a hot-button issue in the UK, which has seen riots and mass protests sparked by violent crimes linked to migrants and Britons with foreign backgrounds.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who assumed office last month, vowed to be “relentless” in stopping small-boat crossings in the Channel after 752 migrants reached the UK aboard nine boats on July 29, marking the largest single-day arrival this year.

European officials have been on alert since late last month, when around 72,000 illegal migrants crossed into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast. Although the vast majority have since been sent back, several countries accused Spain of negligence, with Italy suspending the Schengen free-travel arrangement with the country.

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