Good Morning Britain viewers have taken to Twitter with divided opinion after the show followed a migrant boat crossing the Channel from France to the UK on Tuesday's show.
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Senior News Correspondent Jonathan Swain was following the migrant boat while reporting from another boat, and spoke to the camera about how dangerous crossing the Channel was, while asking the people on the vessel if they were doing okay.
WATCH: Jonathan Swain follows migrant boat on the Channel
Taking to Twitter to discuss the segment, one person wrote: "Cannot believe what I’m watching help these [people] instead of chasing them in a boat," while another added: "Seeing live footage of migrants entering the UK on Good Morning Britain is just shocking seeing people entering their new lives on live TV just for pure entertainment. Shame on you ITV for exposing the people who lived through war and terror."
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Another person added: "This is awful! You see how low in the water their boat is. My main concern is for their safety, and they are in danger right now. Stop chasing them #goodmorningbritain. Whatever their reasons for making this dangerous crossing, they are human beings first."
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Responding to the tweets, Jonathan said: "We're not allowed to [assist them] unless they have a serious risk of drowning, we've been told to keep our distance from the Coastguard, we called it in." Others also expressed anger that more wasn't being done to prevent boats from crossing the Channel, to which Jonathan said: "I understand the anger... But many of the people come from backgrounds where they don't have legitimate claims for asylum in the UK which is why they take the measures."
Jonathan reported from the Channel on Tuesday
He also pointed out that the Border Force boat was driving out to meet the dinghy to rescue them, adding: "They will then claim asylum and will go into the system... For them, [the Border Force boat] is their golden ticket, this is what they're waiting for. They've turned their engine off, this is what they want [to be rescued], this is their safe passage."
