Illegal Channel crossings up 41.7% in the first quarter. After a decline in 2023, the number of illegal Channel crossings is on the rise again.
In the month of March alone this year, the figure rose to 3,118 with a clear increase noted in recent days. On Sunday alone, 442 people reached the English coast aboard nine boats, fragile inflatable boats that are often overloaded, and 349 were counted the day before. Since the start of the year, at least seven migrants, including a seven-year-old girl and a 14-year old teenager, have died at sea and on a canal while trying to reach England.