GRAVELINES, France — By the time the French police arrived, the migrants were already in waist-deep, numbing waters, clambering onto an overcrowded dinghy that arrived by sea. But the boat was too full and the engine wouldn’t start. A handful of police officers watched the migrants for an hour as they struggled to get it going.
As the sun rose, a few migrants reluctantly climbed off and waded back to shore. They stood beside the officers as the engine finally roared to life, and the boat pushed off toward England.
The scene on the beach in northern France offered a glimpse of how thousands of migrants are able to make it across the world’s busiest waterway without being stopped.
