Some 10,139 migrants have been detected crossing the Channel on small boats since the beginning of 2023, according to figures published on Sunday 18 June by the British Home Office.
However, this figure is still lower than at the same time last year. Over the whole of 2022, more than 45,000 crossings had been recorded.
After several weeks of adverse weather conditions, crossings have risen sharply in recent days thanks to milder weather, with more than 2,500 people arriving on British shores between 10 and 17 June.
Seven boats carrying 374 people reached the British coast on Saturday alone, according to the daily toll published by the government.
Priority to the fight against illegal immigration
The fight against illegal immigration is one of the priorities of the conservative majority in power, which has so far struggled to discourage candidates, despite a hardening of its policy.
Last year, the government passed a law – currently blocked by the courts – to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. And a new bill criticised all the way to the UN, plans to prevent migrants arriving through the Channel from seeking asylum.
>> Read also: Crossings of the Channel: despite criticism, London toughens its law against illegal immigration
London has also signed several agreements with other countries such as France and Albania to better combat illegal immigration.
With AFP
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