Record number of migrants cross the Channel in a single day

A record number of migrants have crossed the English Channel in a single day and the Home Office has said that on Wednesday 711 people arrived on 14 boats.

This suggests there was an average of 51 migrants per boat and the total number who have crossed the English Channel to date this year now stands at 8,278.

Last Thursday the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act received Royal Assent and since then 1,611 migrants have made the journey across the Channel.

In 2023 a total of 29,437 migrants arrived in the UK compared to 45,774 the year before.

On Wednesday immigration enforcement officers “swiftly” detained migrants that will be deported to Rwanda in raids.

Over the past two days immigration officers have conducted raids and will send the migrants to immigration removal centres where they will be held before being deported in July.

Between January 2022 and June 2023 5,700 migrants submitted applications for asylum which were denied, they were then informed they will be deported to Rwanda.

The migrants are to be detained at seven immigration removal centres where foreign criminals are also being held for deportation.

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, said, “Our Rwanda Partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it.

“Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.

“This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.”

On Tuesday evening an unnamed man was deported voluntarily to Rwanda on a commercial flight and paid up to £3,000 of taxpayers money for financial aid.