The number of migrants making the perilous journey across the English Channel in makeshift boats to the UK has passed the 40,000 mark, the British Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday.
According to government figures, 972 people crossed the English Channel in 22 small boats on Saturday, bringing the year-to-date total to 40,885, a new record.
Never before have so many immigrants, mostly Albanians, Iranians and Afghans, made the perilous journey. In 2021, 28,526 crossings were registered, which was already a record, according to the French agency AFP.
These growing numbers are putting pressure on the Conservative government, which makes tackling immigration a top priority.
Successive British executives have tried various plans, but without success. The latest of these plans, announced by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, but it has stalled.
The issue is a sticking point with France, although the two countries announced in a joint statement on Friday that they were “making progress” to reach a new deal.
The UK is reportedly willing to pay France a further £80m (€91m at current exchange rates) for additional surveillance on French beaches, while British officers would be given access to control centres. French.
In the UK, recent revelations of overcrowded reception centers have caused controversy in a country where the majority of the population is still in favor of welcoming immigrants.
Source: TSF
