A Border Force vessel Ranger landed in Dover this morning with over 30 migrants on board after they were rescued from high seas in the Channel – days after more than 600 migrants arrived on British soil.
The young male migrants came covered in blankets, holding wallets, and carrying their shoes, and according to observers, they seemed to be damp. The additional arrivals bring the preliminary number of migrants who have made the treacherous Channel passage by boat to the United Kingdom this year to 20,042.
The additional arrivals bring the preliminary number of migrants who have made the treacherous Channel passage by boat to the United Kingdom this year to 20,042.
Images depict individuals disembarking from the boats with blankets wrapped over their shoulders, having gotten soaked crossing the treacherous English Channel from France.
As the BF Ranger landed them onshore, they all donned face masks and life vests.
The photographs show the migrants, the bulk of whom seemed to be males, huddled together as border patrol authorities observe.
This comes only days after the Border Force apprehended 607 migrants who landed in Dover on Saturday, August 13th.
A group of 39 young men and women and several elderly folks arrived at the dock at 6.30 a.m. on Friday, August 12, followed by 100 asylum seekers some hours later.
Earlier this week, 261 migrants took advantage of calm circumstances to make the trek to the United Kingdom by small boat, raising the official total for August to 2,608.
More than 20,000 individuals have crossed the 21-mile Dover Straits in tiny boats this year, according to government statistics. So far in August, 3,618 crossings have been recorded, including 1,694 in the last week, according to the Ministry of Defence.
This year’s greatest day total was reached on August 1, when 696 persons crossed in 14 boats.
Approximately 28,526 individuals attempted the perilous voyage in 2021, compared to 8,410 in 2020, according to official government statistics.
Previously, a government spokeswoman said, “The increase in risky Channel crossings is unacceptable.
“Not only are they a flagrant violation of our immigration regulations, but they also endanger lives and impede our capacity to assist refugees who enter the United Kingdom via safe and legal channels.
The Nationality and Borders Act will allow us to clamp down on system abuse and criminal people smugglers, who will now face a potential penalty of life in jail.
“Under our new Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda, we are continuing our preparations to move people who are undertaking risky, needless, and unlawful trips to the United Kingdom so that their claims may be evaluated and they can rebuild their lives,”
This comes as it was reported this week that people traffickers had advertised on TikTok a “summer sale” for illegally crossing the Channel in a dinghy for £1,500 per person, primarily targeted at Albanians abusing a loophole in UK anti-slavery regulations.
MPs have asked that authorities redouble their efforts to deport migrants to Rwanda in response to an increase in Albanians using tiny boats to reach the United Kingdom after being enticed by reduced pricing.
It claims that the cost of crossing the English Channel has decreased from close to £20,000 per passenger to between £5,000 and £3,500. In other instances, the cost of filling inflatable boats landing on the Kent coast has been as low as £1,500.
Leaked numbers indicate that Albanian migrants now account for four out of 10 entries from northern France, with 1,075 Albanians arriving in the United Kingdom through dinghies and small boats in the six weeks before July 12.
During the time, they comprised 37.5% of all migrants transported to the United Kingdom in tiny boats by criminal gangs, surpassing all other nationalities, including Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis, and Syrians.
Conservative backbenchers have demanded that the next prime minister take swift action.
Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative member of parliament for Dover, said, “It is evident that the majority of Albanians arriving in the United Kingdom in small boats are economic migrants, not war or persecution refugees.”
This is apparent illegality, and it highlights the need of moving through with Rwanda and similar initiatives.