Frontex plane arrives in northern France to help fight people smuggling accross Channel

The European Union border agency Frontex has sent a plane to northern France to help combat illegal migrant smuggling.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed on Twitter that the plane had landed in Lille on Wednesday.

Darmanin said that the aircraft would “reinforce aerial surveillance as part of the fight against illegal immigration in the Channel.”

The minister added that France is doubling the number of security officials tackling illegal immigration.

The moves come one week after 27 migrants were killed in a shipwreck hours after their small boat left the coast near Dunkirk attempting to reach England.

European migration officials agreed on the new deployment at an emergency meeting last Sunday in the French port of Calais.

Frontex said in a statement that the Danish aircraft and crew were “very experienced” and had previously been deployed for other operations in Spain.

“The plane is equipped with modern sensors and radars to support border control at land and sea,” it added.

“Onboard, there will be liaison officers from the relevant authorities to support the crew and facilitate quick and efficient decision-making.”

The EU agency said that the plane would “support French and Belgian authorities” after Sunday’s meeting.

AFP