Britain hits new file of variety of unlawful migrants to cross Channel

Britain has reached a new record for illegal migrants crossing the Channel in the first five months of a calendar year, as data shows the biggest boom since records began. 

Some 117 arrivals were recorded on Thursday, bringing the cumulative total for 2024 to 9,681, provisional data from the Home Office showed. 

This is higher than the total for the first five months of any previous year since current figures began in 2018.

The previous record for the period January 1 to May 31 was 9,607, which was set in 2022, while last year saw 7,610 migrants arrive by the end of May.

The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 is now 41 per cent higher than at this point in 2023 and 15 per cent up on this stage in 2022. 

A group of people thought to be migrants was seen being brought into Dover on Friday on a Border Force vessel.

There were 29,437 arrivals across the whole of 2023, down 36 per cent on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022. 

Earlier this week Britain took 50 migrants from Belfast months before Rishi Sunak said he was ‘not interested’ in accepting returned asylum seekers who had crossed over into Ireland.

The Prime Minister put his foot down in April by refusing to take back any migrants after Irish leaders blamed the UK’s Rwanda deportation scheme for a big rise in asylum seekers crossing into the Republic from Northern Ireland.

But official figures released on Wednesday showed two separate groups of 25 migrants were detained by Irish police while travelling from Northern Ireland’s capital to Dublin before being sent back to the UK.

The migrant groups, which contained three children, were stopped in October and February during two, four-day operations. They were returned by ferry to Holyhead or by train to Belfast.

The details of the operation were contained in monthly reports submitted by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to the Policing Authority and reported by the Irish Times.

It comes as Home Office agents last week detained the first set of illegal migrants destined for Rwanda. 

Armoured Immigration Enforcement officials took part in a series of dramatic dawn raids across the UK to round up asylum seekers who crossed the Channel in small boats.

Groups of men were pictured being handcuffed before being taken to one of seven immigration removal centres, where they will be held until they can be deported to Africa.

Codenamed ‘Operation Vector’, some 800 immigration agents are involved in the effort, which will see the first flights taking off in nine to 11 weeks, with 2,143 asylum seekers being targeted in the opening salvo of the project.

The landmark policy has been hailed by some as a potential ‘Hail Mary’ for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he seeks to stave off a white-washing at the next General Election – especially after the disastrous local election results.

A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘The unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the Channel demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible. 

‘We continue to work closely with French police who are facing increasing violence and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys.

‘Last year they stopped 26,000 people from reaching our shores.

‘We remain committed to building on the successes that saw arrivals drop by more than a third last year, including tougher legislation and agreements with international partners, in order to save lives and stop the boats.’