- 336 migrants tried to cross Channel in August, more than 297 in total in 2018
- Yesterday 66 people from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Kuwait caught off coast
- One of the four vessels was carrying staggering 27 adults and eight children
A record-breaking 336 migrants have been caught crossing the English Channel in August - more than the whole of 2018.
Border Force intercepted a total of 66 men, women and children in small boats along the Kent Coast yesterday.
One of the four vessels alone was carrying 27 adults and eight children, according to the Home Office.
August's figures exceed the whole of last year put together, when 297 people were caught trying to enter Britain illegally across the Channel.
This makes it the month with the highest number of attempted illegal entries on record, reports the BBC.
Another boat reached Kingsdown in Kent yesterday where eight men were passed on to immigration officers after being held by police.
In addition to the 66 people picked up, a dinghy with 13 men on board was returned to Calais after being spotted by a French navy helicopter.
UK Border Force officials said they were first alerted to a small boat travelling across the Channel at about 5.35am on Saturday.
Border Force deployed HMC Seeker and coastal patrol vessel (CPV) Speedwell to intercept the boat, which was taken to the port of Dover.
The boat had 35 migrants on board - 27 adults and eight children - made up of 29 males and six females, who told officials they were Iranian, Iraqi, Afghan, Syrian and Kuwaiti nationals.
The group were transferred to immigration officials to be interviewed.
At around the same time the French authorities made Border Force aware of a second vessel heading towards Kent.
Rescue teams were sent from Folkestone and Deal to help with the operation.
Kent Police and the South East Ambulance Service also assisted with the operation.
Their spokesman said crews were concerned with 'rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities'.
They added: 'HM Coastguard has been coordinating a search and rescue response to a number of incidents on the Kent coast, working with Border Force, Kent Police and other partners.'
As of yesterday, more than 270 migrants, including at least 40 children, have been intercepted by UK and French authorities since Thursday last week.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Friday that urgent action was needed to tackle the Channel's migrant crisis, adding that plans were being drawn up 'immediately' to deal with the problem.
Her comments came after a meeting with French interior minister Christophe Castaner in Paris, during which the pair agreed to allocate more resources to intercept and stop the wave of crossings.
The prospect of British financial support for efforts to stem the flow of crossings from France was discussed at the meeting, according to the French AFP news agency.
Migrants arriving on a rubber dinghy at Kingsdown beach in Kent on Saturday morning
Mr Castaner said that money from London would 'reinforce patrols and improve effectiveness'.
Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned migrants that they would be sent back if they risked crossing the Channel.
He said: 'If you are an illegal immigrant, I'm afraid the law will treat you as such.'
In June, eight boats with 74 people on board, including at least one child, landed on a stretch of coast between Dover in Kent and Winchelsea Beach in East Sussex over the course of a single morning.
Last year, 539 people attempted to travel to Britain on small boats, of whom 434 made their crossings in the last three months of the year, according to official figures.
The Home Office said: 'Crossing the Channel in a small boat is a huge risk.
'The criminal gangs who perpetuate this are ruthless and do not care about loss of life.
'We are working closely at all levels with the French authorities to tackle this dangerous and illegal activity.
'In addition, Border Force cutters are patrolling the Channel and we have already deployed equipment including drones, CCTV and night-vision goggles.'
The total number of migrants who have made it across the Dover Strait - the world's busiest shipping lane - has exceed 1,000 already this year, despite millions being spent on security measures to prevent crossings.
Since January, some 1,450 migrants have been rescued either by British or French coastguards - more than double the number who tried to cross the busy shipping lane in the whole of 2018, according to official French figures released Monday.
France has attributed the increase to good summer weather, which has emboldened more migrants to make the journey.
But such crossings are dangerous given the heavy maritime traffic in the Channel as well as strong currents and cold water.
The body of an Iraqi migrant who tried to swim across the Channel to Britain was found off Belgium's coast earlier this week, wearing a makeshift life jacket made of empty plastic bottles.
Officials believe the 48-year-old drowned after setting off from a beach in northern France, with currents dragging him into Belgian waters.
Nearly 40,000 failed asylum seekers are still in the UK as the numbers being removed drop by half in four years
by Terri-Ann Williams
Close to 40,000 failed asylum seekers are still residing in the UK despite being targeted for removal, as numbers of those being relocated are revealed to have dropped by half in four years.
Official figures released by the Home Office have been branded a 'disgrace' by Tory MP Philip Hollobone, after the government had previously come under fire for its 'hostile environment' towards migrants.
The UK's policy on immigration has been fiercely criticised after the Windrush scandal which unfairly forced families of West Indian migrants to leave.
It has now been acknowledged that many failed asylum seekers across the UK will never leave and in doing so, will form a right to stay.
Above is a scene of the Dover Border Force stopping a small dinghy carrying migrants across the English channel
The group of people were taken ashore after being found trying to cross the Channel in three boats on August 27
Figures show that the number of unsuccessful applicants branded 'subject to removal action' rose 39,932 in the year to June, up from 34,752.
These latest figures come as nearly 150 migrants were found trying to cross the Channel into the UK over the last week.
On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned illegal migrants that they would be sent back if they risked crossing the Channel.
This is while the number of rejected applicants has actually fallen, and according to The Times, only 3,471 left the country in the year to June, down 27 per cent from 4,819 the previous year.
Conservative MP for Kettering, Mr Hollobone said: 'These asylum figures are a national disgrace. The number of failed asylum seekers awaiting removal is going up while the number of removals is going down. The longer these people stay in this country illegally, the greater the chance they never, ever leave. The new home secretary needs to get a grip on this immediately.'
A group of people brought to shore by Border Force officers at the Port of Dover this morning
This year more than 850 migrants have crossed the Channel, but the Home Office has claimed that more than 65 of those found had returned to Europe.
This is while home secretary Priti Patel gave her department just 72 hours to conjure an emergency plan to tackle the issue.
Ms Patel has since been in contact with the French interior minister Christophe Castaner, with sources claiming we need French support.
'The focus will be on practical support to assist French patrols to deter migrants from embarking upon these perilous crossings organised by criminal gangs.'
The 40,000 which are subject to removal can also make further submissions in their cases such as last minute legal challenges.
Former directorgeneral of immigration enforcement at the Home Office, David Wood said: 'In reality the longer they stay the more difficult it is to remove them as they get married, have children and build roots in the UK. They then can make further claims to stay on the basis of the right to family life.
'The normal rule we worked on was once immigrants had been here for ten years you could not remove them and they would successfully apply for indefinite leave to remain. You will not find anything written down but that was generally the reality.
'The number of removals has fallen off a cliff. Resources for immigration enforcement have dwindled and you would need a lot more cash and manpower to be able to boost the numbers.'
No comments:
Post a Comment