Tag: English Channel

Record English Channel Crossings Exceed 8,000 for the Year

More than 8,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel this year, figures show. Since the start of 2022, 8,393 people have reached the UK after navigating busy shipping lanes from France in small boats, according to analysis of government data by the PA news agency. This is more than double…


254 Illegal Immigrants Arrive in Dover After 11-Day Pause in English Channel Crossings

Following an apparent pause of 11 days, more than 250 people entered the UK illegally on Sunday by crossing the English Channel in small boats. The UK’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that seven boats and 254 people were detected crossing the channel during the day. The figure includes boats and people that landed in the UK…


UK Government Withdraws Plan to Push Back Migrant Boats in the English Channel

The UK government has abandoned its plan to turn migrant small boats back to the French side of the English Channel ahead of a judicial review of the policy. Campaign groups that were challenging the tactic said on Monday that it was informed by the government’s legal department that the policy had been withdrawn by the…


UK Government Defends Plan to Send Illegal Immigrants to Rwanda

The UK government has defended its plan to send illegal immigrants to the African country of Rwanda after it was criticised by a senior church leader. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on April 14 that people who enter the UK illegally, including those who cross the English Channel in small boats, may end up being…


Illegal Entry to UK by Small Boats Reaches 6,000 This Year

The number of people who entered the UK illegally by crossing the English Channel in small boats this year has reached about 6,000. On Friday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that six boats carrying 181 people were detected, following the crossing of 562 people in 14 boats on Thursday. The MoD started publishing daily…


UK Wants First Batch of Illegal Immigrants Flown to Rwanda in Weeks: Official

The UK government wants to send the first batch of illegal immigrants arriving under a scheme designed to deter human smuggling to Rwanda in a matter of weeks, a Downing Street official has said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on April 14 that people who enter the UK illegally may end up being relocated to…


Illegal Channel Migrants Should Be Sent to South Atlantic Island: UK Think Tank

Illegal immigrants who attempt to enter the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats should be deported to an offshore processing centre within 48 hours, a British Conservative think tank has proposed. In its latest report (pdf) published on Feb. 16, the London-based Policy Exchange think tank said the “most obviously suitable” location…


UK Military Given ‘Crucial’ Role in Operation Against Illegal Immigration in English Channel

The British government has given the armed forces a “crucial” role in the operation against illegal immigration in the English Channel, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has said. Answering questions in the House of Commons on Jan. 17, Patel said that she had commissioned the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as a “crucial operational partner to…


Number of People Smuggled Into UK in Small Boats Triples in 2021

Around 28,400 people have entered the UK in 2021 by the clandestine crossing of the English Channel, triple the number for 2020. Analysis of Home Office data by the PA news agency showed that at least 28,395 illegal immigrants had arrived in small boats in the past year, while the BBC’s analysis counted at least 28,431 crossings….


67 people cross English Channel on Christmas Day

UK authorities have brought in 67 people who were attempting to cross the English Channel on Christmas Day. Border Force agents took a group of people to Dover, Kent, in the early hours of Saturday, following an incident involving two small boats. French authorities also intercepted one boat on the same day. It is not…