For the first time, the British Interior Ministry will broadcast digital advertisements in France in order to dissuade migrants from trying to join the United Kingdom on board small boats, reports Le Figaroconfirming information from Time. The clips, which will be visible on YouTube and Facebook, target users according to their location and demographic criteria such as sex or nationality, and are particularly aimed at those “likely to consider illegally going to the United Kingdom”, details the British daily.
The messages broadcast are stamped with the seals of the British and French governments and translated into English, French, Pachto, Farsi and Arabic. One of them indicates: “There is a new treaty between the United Kingdom and France. If you arrive illegally in the United Kingdom aboard a boat, you are now likely to be expelled and you will no longer be able to return to the United Kingdom or stay in France in an irregular situation ”.
45,000 migrants joined the British coast in one year
This use of digital advertisements follows the entry into force on August 5 of the Franco-British agreement signed in mid-July, during the state visit of Emmanuel Macron to the United Kingdom. The Treaty provides in particular the return to France of migrants who arrived in the United Kingdom on small boats in exchange for sending across the Channel of migrants in France. Objective: dissuade crossings on precarious boats organized by smugglers.
According to the BBC, one in 17 migrants arrived in the United Kingdom on these boats could be sent back to France, or around 2,600 people per year. Between July 7, 2024 and July 6, 2025, 44,444 migrants reached the British coast. Since the coming to power of the Labor government, the total number of crossings has exceeded 50,000, including 27,029 since the start of 2025. For the record, 2022 had already been a record year, with 45,774 arrivals in small boats.
