MOSCOW (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova — Using the army to assist in countering the migrant crisis on the French-British maritime border would significantly boost the effectiveness of undermanned border agencies, a UKIP member of the European Parliament told Sputnik.
“There aren’t enough people working for the border agencies and what we say is let’s get the armed forces actually to assist the border agencies in doing their job,” James Carver said.
Earlier this week, UKIP leader Nigel Farage proposed the use of armed forces in the United Kingdom to prevent migrants from entering the country from the French city of Calais. UK Home Secretary Theresa May has refused to call in military support to resolve the crisis.
Carver stressed that the army is not intended to be used to attack the migrants but to assist border agencies.
“They can help search lorries, they can help search cargo they can help the border guards. They can search the known areas that people are getting across from,” Carver said, urging UK parties to support the proposal.
Thousands of attempts have been made by migrants to enter the United Kingdom from the French port of Calais through the Channel Tunnel in the past weeks. Several people have died in the process.
The Channel Tunnel is a 31.4-mile rail tunnel between Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom and Coquelles, near Calais, in northern France. According to the French Interior Ministry, Calais currently houses some 3,000 migrants, mainly from North African countries.
