More than 150 suspected illegal migrants were brought ashore in six hours after crossing the Channel to the UK in small boats.
The United Kingdom’s Border Force intercepted 13 boats between 6.20am and 12.30pm on Tuesday, carrying a total of 159 people, the Home Office said.
Those on board told immigration officials they were Kuwaiti, Iranian, Syrian, Palestinian, Yemeni, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Afghan, Libyan, Sudanese, Moroccan, Turkish and Chad nationals.
At least three young children were among the group, according to photographers on the scene.
Last week more than 350 people made the crossing, with 137 on Friday alone.
Some 180 reached the UK on July 12 – the current single day record for the year.
The latest wave of incidents comes amid a bout of warm weather and calm waters as well as Migration Watch UK waring the government that if current trends continue more than 7,500 people could illegally entre the UK by Christmas this year.
On Monday, it emerged that hundreds of boats believed to have been used in past attempts are being stored at a high-security government compound in Dover.
Only around 5%-7% of those who come via this illegal route have been sent back to the safe countries of the EU. The total understood to have been returned during 2019 is 125 out of 1,892 (just under 7%).
HM’s government has claimed that ‘over 155’ have been removed between January 2019 and May 2020, 155 returns is just 5% of the 2,900 or so who arrived during that period.
Home Secretary Priti Patel told PA that no new target date has been set for when the crossings would become an “infrequent phenomenon”.
This despite less than a year ago vowing “urgent action” on the dangerous journeys, aiming for them to be virtually eradicated by spring this year.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is in negotiations with her French counterpart and said she wants an agreement to allow British vessels into French waters and French vessels into British waters to help tackle the growing illegal migration crisis.
The French authorities do not currently intercept migrant boats even if they are just 250 yards from the French coast, it is understood this is due to the French’s interpretation of maritime law.
The Home Secretary has urged her French counterpart to consider changing this, claiming that intercepting suspected illegal migrant boats is well within the French authorities right.
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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.
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