Only five people who unlawfully crossed the English Channel have been returned to the EU so far this year, MP have been told.
Tom Pursglove, an immigration minister, said there had been “difficulties securing returns”.
The Home Affairs Select Committee heard the number has fallen from several hundred a year before Brexit, when an agreement was in place to return them.
Mr Pursglove said boats are now the “route of choice”.
He rejected suggestions migrants should be offered safe routes to the UK so they can claim asylum.
“All the individuals we see arriving are coming from what are safe countries with perfectly functioning asylum systems, which act in accordance with the refugee convention,” he said.
“Nobody needs to get in a small boat to come to this country.”
More than 23,000 people have arrived in the UK this year after crossing the Channel in small boats. This is almost three times the total of around 8,500 in 2020.
Dan O’Mahoney, Clandestine Threat Commander for the Home Office, told the committee the idea of using marine fencing to block boats from UK beaches had been looked at and rejected as unsuitable.
He told the committee that “push back” tactics that are “safe” had been developed, but refused to discuss exactly what they were, or whether a lack of cooperation from France had prevented the them being used.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
[sibwp_form id=4]
