Border Force Sailed Into French Waters to Pick Up Illegal Migrants

The UK Border Force reportedly travelled into French waters to pick up illegal boat migrants and bring them back to English soil.

A radio conversation between French and British vessels in the English Channel appears to confirm that England’s 140ft cutter, the HMC Valiant, travelled into French territorial waters to collect a rubber boat full of migrants.

The conversation sees the Border Force apparently questioning the operators of the French patrol ship Athos on whether they have the “legality” to enter French waters to collect the “slow” moving migrants.

A man with an English accent is heard saying: “The difficulty we have is the vessel is in your waters, and we cannot come into your waters to take the vessel.”

“Would you have a problem if we put our boarding boat into the water near the vessel, however, we will just escort it towards UK waters?” the supposed Border Force officer said.

In response, a man with a French accent said: “We give you legality to do this, no problem.”

According to transponder data, the English cutter ventured into French territorial waters before launching an inflatable craft — presumably to pick up the migrants — before coming back to shore at Dover.

There was no suggestion that the migrants were in danger of drowning, meaning that the Border Force was not acting in an emergency situation.

The incident reportedly took place last Saturday when 144 illegal aliens crossed the English Channel from France.

It is currently unknown how many of the migrants were picked up by the Border Force in French territorial waters.