LONDON – The number of people crossing the Channel to the UK from northern France in small boats has hit a new high, the government in London said today.
Some 1,295 people were detected yesterday, beating the previous single-day record of 1,185 on November 11, 2021, the Defence Ministry said.
So far this year there have been some 22,670 crossings – nearly double the number at the same point in 2021.
Last year, the UK authorities intercepted and brought ashore a total of 28,526 people as they tried to cross the busy shipping lane.
The issue has caused a major political headache for the UK government, which promised tighter border controls after leaving the European Union.
It has also heightened tensions between London and Paris, with the UK government accusing France of not doing enough to stop the crossings.
To try to address the issue, laws have been tightened to target people-smuggling gangs behind the crossings.
But controversial plans to send some migrants to Rwanda for resettlement have been stymied by a series of legal challenges.
The UK government has defended the policy as necessary because the costs involved in processing asylum claims and housing migrants are too high. – AFP, August 23, 2022
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