New Delhi, April 25 -- The British government has agreed to finance a new phase of migrant deportation operations led by French authorities, marking one of the most aggressive cross-border enforcement strategies in recent European migration policy. The deal, struck between officials in the United Kingdom and France, is designed to curb the steady rise in asylum seekers attempting to cross the English Channel, often in overcrowded and unsafe small boats.

Under the agreement, British funding will support the deployment of additional French officers tasked with identifying, detaining and deporting migrants before they reach UK waters. The move reflects mounting political pressure on the UK government to demonstrate control over its borders,...