What is the REAL migrant boat crisis?

The British media seem obsessed with small boats crossing the Channel, but there's been far less coverage of the vessels carrying hundreds of migrants from West Africa which have gone missing en route to the Canary Islands. They were seeking the relative safety of Europe, after fleeing instability in Senegal.

A fleet of three boats set sail a fortnight ago on the treacherous journey of more than 1,000 miles from the port of Kafountine. One has been rescued by the Spanish coastguard, but at the time of writing, two are still missing, the fate of their occupants unknown.

This follows the tragedy off the coast of Greece just a few weeks ago. The final death toll in that tragic incident hasn't yet been confirmed, but it’s thought that more than 500 migrants drowned.

The British governmen has made it a defining mission to stop the small boats in the English channel, where 27 people died when an inflatable dinghy capsized in November 2021. The Illegal Migration Bill currently going through parliament will make it illegal to seek asylum to the UK if you've arrived by sea.

Despite the risk and the rhetoric, more than 12,000 people have arrived in the UK so far this year on small boats – a year on year reduction of just 7%.

Adrian Goldberg discusses the issue with Zoe Gardener, migration policy expert.

Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White.

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