The number of migrants crossing the dangerous English Channel in makeshift boats to reach the UK surpassed the 40,000 mark on Sunday, a record, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.
According to government figures, 972 people crossed the English Channel on Saturday in 22 small boats, bringing the total since the beginning of the year to 40,885.
Never before have so many immigrants, especially Albanians, Iranians and Afghans, made the dangerous journey. In all of 2021, 28,526 crossings were registered. It was already a record.
London under pressure
These rising numbers are putting pressure on the government as the Conservatives have made fighting immigration a top priority since Brexit and the asylum system is more overwhelmed than ever.
Successive Tory governments have considered everything, abandoning some illegal or impractical ideas like pushing ships out of British waters with artificial waves, locking migrants on ocean liners or sending them to remote islands.
The latest plan, announced by Boris Johnson, envisions sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, but this plan has stalled.
An agreement under discussion with France
The issue is a point of tension with Paris, even if the two countries announced in a joint press release on Friday “progress” toward finding a new agreement on the issue.
London would be willing to pay an additional 80 million pounds (91 million euros) to France for police reinforcements on French beaches, while British agents would have access to French control centers.
In the United Kingdom, recent revelations about overcrowded reception centers have caused controversy in a country where the population remains overwhelmingly in favor of welcoming migrants.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman, far right, was also shocked to describe the influx of migrants arriving in the UK as an “invasion”, comments deemed “horrifying” by the UN.
Source: BFM TV
