Channel migrant boat captains could face LIFE sentences under new government crackdown on people smugglers – as figures reveal 12,312 people have reached the UK in small boats so far this year with 153 making the treacherous crossing yesterday
- Almost 2,800 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel according to figures from the MoD
- The small boats were intercepted with the migrants taken safely to Dover where they will be processed
- 153 people successfully crossed the Channel yesterday with further migrants intercepted at sea earlier today
More people have risked choppy seas in the English Channel to reach the UK by small boats today despite new laws threating to jail migrant captains for life coming into force.
One group of migrants was filmed this morning on a black inflatable dingy by a passenger on board a Cross Channel Ferry heading between Calais and Dover.
The passenger saw the boat struggling across the Channel at approximately 7.30am. The witness said: ‘It barely seemed to be moving against the speed we were going. Once you see it upfront with your own eyes it hits home just how treacherous it is.’
Hours later, a Border Force vessel disembarked a group of approximately 50 migrants in Dover, including women and children.
According to the MoD, a total of 153 migrants on four boats were intercepted by the UK authorities on Monday June 27 with almost 2,800 people arriving during June.
Part of the new Nationality and Borders Act came into force today, including provisions to jail migrant boat captains for life.
The new rules also allow the government to strip foreign born offenders of their British citizenship, including the ability to deport people ahead of their release from prison.
Also, migrants arriving on small boats today have fewer rights and less access to public services as part of the Government’s clampdown.
This small rubber dingy was filmed today from a cross channel ferry as it struggled between northern France and Dover
These migrants, including children, arrived in Dover shortly before lunchtime on board Border Force Typhoon
Almost 2,800 migrants have been intercepted crossing the Channel this month – more than the entire figure for 2020
Almost 29,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, compared with 5,654 and 2,449 over the same time in 2021 and 2020 respectively
The recent crossings bring the total of people reaching the UK so far this year to 12,312 compared to 5,654 by this point in 2021 and 2,449 in 2020.
One migrant vessel struggling across the Channel was a small inflatable dingy filmed from a cross channel ferry.
A passenger on board the 7am DFDS freight ferry from Calais to Dover filmed the heavily laden black inflatable boat as it barely made headway across the 21 miles separating France from England.
The migrant boat was spotted around 7.30am today.
One witness said: ‘I was sitting in the cafe at the front of the ferry and just out of the corner of my eye I spotted the small raft.
‘I rushed to the back of the ferry where you can go outside.’
He added: ‘It looked to have around 15 to 20 on board and was approximately one mile off the coast of Calais.
Last week, 12 boats were intercepted with 516 people on board, a further 153 arrived yesterday on four boats
Those arriving in the UK today will have fewer rights and less access to public services than previous migrants provisions contained with the Nationality and Border Act came into force overnight
No migrants were spotted attempting to cross into the UK on 11 days during, June. Although on June 14, 444 people made it across the channel (pictured, people arriving in Dover this lunchtime)
‘It was a clear day, and the sea was like a millpond, you could see the amount of large freighters tracking the channel.
‘It barely seemed to be moving against the speed we were going.
‘Once you see it upfront with your own eyes it hits home just how treacherous it is.
‘It must have been 500 metres from the ferry.’
According to figures from the MoD, last week 12 boats were intercepted with 516 migrants on board.
Yesterday, a further 153 people were found on four boats.
Figures for today are not available yet, though a group of approximately 50 migrants were seen disembarking a Border Force vessel in Dover shortly before lunchtime
So far this month, the MoD said 2,748 migrants were intercepted on 67 boats with 444 arriving on June 14 alone – they day when Home Secretary Priti Patel’s £500,000 flight to Rwanda was abandoned due to court challenges.
Figures for today are not available yet, though a group of approximately 50 migrants were seen disembarking a Border Force vessel in Dover shortly before lunchtime.
The recent crossings bring the total of people reaching the UK so far this year to 12,312 compared to 5,654 by this point in 2021 and 2,449 in 2020.
At the weekend, Prime Minister Boris Johnson declined to give a figure by which Channel crossings needed to come down before the Government’s Rwanda migrant policy could be declared a success.
The first flight to Rwanda, planned for June 14, was cancelled at the last minute following an order from the European Court of Human Rights.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has previously described the court’s decision as politically motivated while Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said it was wrong for the injunction to be granted.
Ongoing court battles have created uncertainty over when any further attempts to fly asylum seekers to the African country will be made, although Ms Patel has said the Government ‘will not be deterred from doing the right thing, we will not be put off by the inevitable last-minute legal challenges’.
Migrant boat filmed just 500 yards from a Cross Channel ferry
One migrant vessel struggling across the Channel was a small inflatable dingy filmed from a cross channel ferry.
A passenger on board the 7am DFDS freight ferry from Calais to Dover filmed the heavily laden black inflatable boat as it barely made headway across the 21 miles separating France from England.
The migrant boat was spotted around 7.30am today.
One witness said: ‘I was sitting in the cafe at the front of the ferry and just out of the corner of my eye I spotted the small raft.
‘I rushed to the back of the ferry where you can go outside.’
The boat risked crossing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes to make its way to the UK
He added: ‘It looked to have around 15 to 20 on board and was approximately one mile off the coast of Calais.
‘It was a clear day, and the sea was like a millpond, you could see the amount of large freighters tracking the channel.
‘It barely seemed to be moving against the speed we were going.
‘Once you see it upfront with your own eyes it hits home just how treacherous it is.
‘It must have been 500 metres from the ferry.’
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