Great Britain
Record number of migrants crossed the English Channel
A group of people believed to be migrants are brought ashore aboard the Dover lifeboat. Photo: Gareth Fuller / PA Wire / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
They try the dangerous crossing in small boats. More and more migrants are trying to come to the UK
More migrants than ever in a day have illegally crossed the English Channel from France to Great Britain. As the Interior Ministry announced in London, a total of 1185 people crossed from the mainland on Thursday, which is the first time that more than 1000 people. A spokesman called the number “unacceptable”.
Photos showed people, including women and young children, reaching the British coast near Dover in fully packed rubber dinghies. So far, it is estimated that around 23,000 migrants have already reached the country this year – more than twice as many as in all of 2020.
This increases the pressure on the British Home Secretary Priti Patel. The conservative politician announced several times that she would stop illegal migration. The BBC quoted a government source accusing France of losing control of the situation on its coast. Numerous people are waiting there for an opportunity to go to Great Britain. London supports the French controls with the equivalent of around 63 million pounds.
As the maritime prefecture in France announced, a total of 54 migrants who had tried to cross the English Channel with small boats were rescued on Thursday. Those rescued, including two children, were taken to the ports of Calais, Dunkerque and Boulogne-sur-Mer. Two refugees rescued from their kayaks told the gendarmerie about three other missing refugees. All attempts to find the three in the sea with the help of a helicopter, however, failed.
The British government introduced a rigid immigration system after Brexit. Interior Minister Patel wants to make it more difficult for migrants to apply for asylum upon arrival. Preventing free movement is a Brexit pledge made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives.