France beefs up anti-smuggling agency after migrant deaths

France's interior minister says France will double the number of officers in charge of fighting smugglers after 27 people died last week trying to cross the Channel to get Britain in an overcrowded smuggling boat

PARIS -- France will double the staff of the agency in charge of fighting smugglers after 27 people died trying to reach Britain in an overcrowded boat last week and will talk with Britain about how best to stop migrants from undertaking such dangerous Channel crossings, a French official said Monday.

Speaking after a defense council meeting, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the anti-smuggling office will be redesigned next year to work in the same way as against drug traffickers. He said the personnel, currently at 123, will be doubled and justice officials and staff from the foreign affairs and finance ministries will join the office to give it “more muscle, not to say revolutionize it."

As France and the U.K. accuse each other of not doing enough to tackle the problem of migrant smuggling, Darmanin also said the French government is open to holding discussions with British authorities to try and stop the Channel crossings.

“What we want is a balanced agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union that offers real solutions to all the problems," Darmanin said.