The French government announced an "action plan" Friday to counter attempts by migrants to cross the Channel to Britain by sea, which will include an increase in coastguard patrols and ramped up surveillance in ports.
These new measures will be in addition to a joint action plan announced on December 31 by the French and British government, according to a statement from the French interior ministry.
An increase in crossings by asylum-seekers, mostly Iranians, has caused alarm in Britain and put the Conservative government there under pressure to provide a response. "This plan should enable us to end these crossings," the French statement said, adding that they were "not only illegal but also extremely dangerous.