Category: English Channel

French Police Bust Iraqi–Kurdish Gang Smuggling Illegal Immigrants to UK

French police have busted a people-smuggling gang which had been using small boats to take illegal immigrants across the English Channel to the UK. The gang, based in Lille and run by Iraqi Kurds, was detected thanks to intelligence sharing between authorities in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK, police said on Sept. 22….


38 Illegal Immigrants Rescued in English Channel From Sinking Boat

Thirty-eight illegal immigrants have been rescued from the English Channel after their boat sank off the coast of southeast England, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Sept. 15. The illegal immigrants were trying to reach the UK coast in a dinghy, which deflated in UK waters at around 6:17 a.m. local time. The Coastguard…


Number of Illegal Immigrants Crossing English Channel to UK This Year Has Exceeded Whole of 2021

More illegal immigrants have crossed the English Channel to reach the UK so far this year than in the whole of 2021, UK government figures suggest. Some 601 people were detected on Sept. 12 in 19 boats, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, taking the provisional total for the year to 28,561. Last year’s total…


Priti Patel Invites Albanian Police to UK to Help Tackle Flow of Illegal Immigrants

Home Secretary Priti Patel has invited police officers from Albania to come to England to help tackle a wave of illegal immigrants crossing the Channel in recent months. A Home Office report published on Thursday revealed the number of Albanians arriving in the UK on small boats from France and Belgium had increased “substantially” since…


Passengers Stranded Beneath English Channel After Eurotunnel Train Breaks Down

Dozens of Eurotunnel passengers were stranded in emergency tunnels beneath the English Channel for up to five hours after a train broke down. Video footage on social media showed some holidaymakers tramping through the tunnel with children, suitcases, and dogs as they returned to England from holidays in France. The train from Calais to Folkestone,…


Royal Navy to Continue Tackling Illegal Immigration in Channel If Truss Becomes PM

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has vowed to continue deploying the Royal Navy to tackle illegal immigration in the English Channel if she becomes the next prime minister. The Royal Navy was brought in to patrol the Channel in April, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the move would help ensure that “no boat makes…


More Than 20,000 Illegal Immigrants Have Crossed English Channel to Reach UK This Year

More than 20,000 illegal immigrants have been detected crossing the English Channel in small boats to reach the UK since the beginning of 2022, UK government figures show. Some 607 were detected on Aug. 13 crossing the Channel in 14 boats, taking the provisional total for the year to 20,017. There were altogether 28,526 crossings…


Traffickers ‘Back to Business’ After UK Rwanda Deal, Says Albanian Journalist

An Albanian journalist has told The Epoch Times the impact of Priti Patel’s deal with Rwanda has already worn off and traffickers are telling illegal immigrants they will not end up in the African country. Muhamed Veliu, a political correspondent with Top Channel in Albania, said: “When the Rwanda deal was done we reported it…


Minister Denies Royal Navy Is ‘Tour Guide’ for Illegal Immigrants in the Channel

Armed forces minister James Heappey has denied the Royal Navy has been reduced to the role of “tour guide” to escort illegal immigrants in the Channel to the English coast. He told the Defence Select Committee on Tuesday he believed the Royal Navy had “gained control” of the English Channel and said only one boat…


40 Arrested in Huge People-Trafficking Raids in UK and 3 European Countries

Forty people have been arrested in coordinated raids across Britain and three European countries, and law enforcement agencies claim they have smashed a huge gang which was trafficking illegal immigrants across the English Channel in tiny boats. Almost 13,000 people have crossed the Channel from France in dinghies and RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats) since the…