More than 500 migrants have crossed the Channel for the second day in a row, the Home Office revealed on Thursday.
Some 614 people made the journey in 10 boats on Wednesday, taking the provisional total for 2024 past 20,000.
It comes after 526 migrants crossed over on Tuesday.
Since Labour came to power in the July general election, there have been a total of 6,585 arrivals.
A total of 20,433 people have made the journey so far this year, three per cent higher than at the same point in 2023 – when the figure was 19,801 – but 18 per cent lower than 2022’s total of 25,065.
People smugglers are cramming more migrants into dinghies because supplies of boats and equipment have been limited following operations by border agencies and law enforcement officers.
More than 60 migrants on average were packed into each boat that made the journey on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Officials have blamed the overcrowding for an apparent increase in deaths, not only from migrants drowning but also from them being crushed on overloaded vessels.
There have been at least 25 deaths in the Channel this year.
Wednesday’s total of 614 arrivals is the second highest on a single day since the election, after 703 crossed over on Aug 11.
The highest number on any day so far this year was 882, on June 18.
Labour scrapped the previous government’s Rwanda deportation scheme soon after coming to power.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, is instead creating a Border Security Command, which will bring together existing immigration units and equip them with counter-terrorism style powers.
He is also seeking returns agreements with other countries.
[deleted] on
[removed]
MCDCFC on
One solution is to make it a prisonable offence to steer a boat of migrants. Use a drone to identify who it is at the controls. Immediate arrest upon landing ashore and a very long Prison Sentence to follow. See how many make the journey then. Drastic measures are needed
AcademicIncrease8080 on
In an impact assessment of the Illegal Migration Act, the [estimated cost of supporting](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/51897/documents/3699#page=26) a migrant while their asylum claim is being processed was £106,000 (over 4 years, and that is just the primary cost and does not include extra spending on police, anti terrorism, etc).
So these 500 illegal migrants *from one day* will cost the taxpayer roughly £53 million over the next four years. We are talking about absolutely eye-watering sums of money.
This cannot continue, Western Europe needs to address this crisis asap – it’s not just a UK issue. Legal, controlled migration of skilled workers is absolutely necessary and an easy win, but it is unfair and ruinously expensive to allow mass illegal economic migration to continue in the status quo.
EmeraldDank on
Just send them to belfsst, they can make their way to the south undetected and get looked after.
Any Muslims can apply for the police there, they’re actively looking.
Different_Local6346 on
It is not racist to say no or enough, our NHS is at bursting point and can’t cope with numbers, our welfare system is being abused, our social housing hasn’t got the numbers to rehouse our own citizens. Some European countries refuse outright to take in immigrants. We are losing our identity as a Christian country.
bvimo on
Is it the same 500 people every day, are they trying to set a world record for the number of times 500 people cross the Channel?? Do they have a loyalty card that’s stamped each time they cross – although I expect the Frenchies are on strike again, we’ll stamp their Channel crossing loyalty card and be happy.
Radiant_Paint8924 on
I feel like a mug, paying for all this. I don’t want my money spent on these people. We are being taken for fools and shafted from all corners, most of all by this government and the previous one.
bforsyth927 on
Quickly, let’s ban smoking in pub gardens, that should sort this
Radiant_Paint8924 on
It feels like these people are being sent to the UK to economically sabotage us. To dump costs that we, as complete idiots, will incur over doing what is actually good for the country. It is economic sabotage, and it is organised.
stumperr on
Stop rewarding people who enter. It sounds terrible but we need to build purpose built centres to house them. If you enter this way you will never be given residency should be the law.
ClickTrue1735 on
I have a question, why do the media call these individuals migrants when they are illegal migrants because they came illegally. And what questions me the most is that I understand that the left-wing media prefer to call them migrants rather than illegal migrants because of their political position, but for the conservative media why don’t they call them by their real name which is illegal migrants. 🧐
BushidoX0 on
1) It’s not really happening
2) Yes – it’s happening, but it’s not a big deal
3) Yes – it’s happening, and it’s a good thing
4) People freaking out about it are the real problem
We are currently at stage 3
mint-bint on
They are only choosing to come here (at great personal risk and expense) because the benefits and hospitality we give them is better than everywhere else in the EU. Where they already reside safely.
If only we could deter this type of activity by guaranteeing that if you arrive illegally like this you will be transferred and processed in a neutral 3rd country and won’t be settled/paid to live relatively well in the UK.
One thing that’s never talked about is as long as the West/Israel keeps having conflict and with the middle east and destabilizing regions this will never end.
Scared-Room-9962 on
House them offshore on decommissioned oil rigs until their claims are processed.
If they’re rejected, return to sender or stay on the rig.
Probably impossible and too costly… I’ve no idea what to do about this. Fix the shit holes they come from so they stay there?
poke50uk on
1498 legal work visas a day on average, 1452 student visas daily.
Perhaps we can be focusing on reducing those and how small boat arrivals are a small proportion of migrants in total if you really care about migration? Perhaps see how most of those workers are going to healthcare because we can pay them less than “our own”?
Perhaps just massively increase how quickly we process people?
18 Comments
Article text –
More than 500 migrants have crossed the Channel for the second day in a row, the Home Office revealed on Thursday.
Some 614 people made the journey in 10 boats on Wednesday, taking the provisional total for 2024 past 20,000.
It comes after 526 migrants crossed over on Tuesday.
Since Labour came to power in the July general election, there have been a total of 6,585 arrivals.
A total of 20,433 people have made the journey so far this year, three per cent higher than at the same point in 2023 – when the figure was 19,801 – but 18 per cent lower than 2022’s total of 25,065.
People smugglers are cramming more migrants into dinghies because supplies of boats and equipment have been limited following operations by border agencies and law enforcement officers.
More than 60 migrants on average were packed into each boat that made the journey on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Officials have blamed the overcrowding for an apparent increase in deaths, not only from migrants drowning but also from them being crushed on overloaded vessels.
There have been at least 25 deaths in the Channel this year.
Wednesday’s total of 614 arrivals is the second highest on a single day since the election, after 703 crossed over on Aug 11.
The highest number on any day so far this year was 882, on June 18.
Labour scrapped the previous government’s Rwanda deportation scheme soon after coming to power.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, is instead creating a Border Security Command, which will bring together existing immigration units and equip them with counter-terrorism style powers.
He is also seeking returns agreements with other countries.
[removed]
One solution is to make it a prisonable offence to steer a boat of migrants. Use a drone to identify who it is at the controls. Immediate arrest upon landing ashore and a very long Prison Sentence to follow. See how many make the journey then. Drastic measures are needed
In an impact assessment of the Illegal Migration Act, the [estimated cost of supporting](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/51897/documents/3699#page=26) a migrant while their asylum claim is being processed was £106,000 (over 4 years, and that is just the primary cost and does not include extra spending on police, anti terrorism, etc).
So these 500 illegal migrants *from one day* will cost the taxpayer roughly £53 million over the next four years. We are talking about absolutely eye-watering sums of money.
This cannot continue, Western Europe needs to address this crisis asap – it’s not just a UK issue. Legal, controlled migration of skilled workers is absolutely necessary and an easy win, but it is unfair and ruinously expensive to allow mass illegal economic migration to continue in the status quo.
Just send them to belfsst, they can make their way to the south undetected and get looked after.
Any Muslims can apply for the police there, they’re actively looking.
It is not racist to say no or enough, our NHS is at bursting point and can’t cope with numbers, our welfare system is being abused, our social housing hasn’t got the numbers to rehouse our own citizens. Some European countries refuse outright to take in immigrants. We are losing our identity as a Christian country.
Is it the same 500 people every day, are they trying to set a world record for the number of times 500 people cross the Channel?? Do they have a loyalty card that’s stamped each time they cross – although I expect the Frenchies are on strike again, we’ll stamp their Channel crossing loyalty card and be happy.
I feel like a mug, paying for all this. I don’t want my money spent on these people. We are being taken for fools and shafted from all corners, most of all by this government and the previous one.
Quickly, let’s ban smoking in pub gardens, that should sort this
It feels like these people are being sent to the UK to economically sabotage us. To dump costs that we, as complete idiots, will incur over doing what is actually good for the country. It is economic sabotage, and it is organised.
Stop rewarding people who enter. It sounds terrible but we need to build purpose built centres to house them. If you enter this way you will never be given residency should be the law.
I have a question, why do the media call these individuals migrants when they are illegal migrants because they came illegally. And what questions me the most is that I understand that the left-wing media prefer to call them migrants rather than illegal migrants because of their political position, but for the conservative media why don’t they call them by their real name which is illegal migrants. 🧐
1) It’s not really happening
2) Yes – it’s happening, but it’s not a big deal
3) Yes – it’s happening, and it’s a good thing
4) People freaking out about it are the real problem
We are currently at stage 3
They are only choosing to come here (at great personal risk and expense) because the benefits and hospitality we give them is better than everywhere else in the EU. Where they already reside safely.
If only we could deter this type of activity by guaranteeing that if you arrive illegally like this you will be transferred and processed in a neutral 3rd country and won’t be settled/paid to live relatively well in the UK.
Meanwhile Italy have reduced their illegal arrivals by [60](https://www.infomigrants.net/fr/post/58144/italy-migrant-arrivals-down-60-in-2024-interior-ministry-says)%
One thing that’s never talked about is as long as the West/Israel keeps having conflict and with the middle east and destabilizing regions this will never end.
House them offshore on decommissioned oil rigs until their claims are processed.
If they’re rejected, return to sender or stay on the rig.
Probably impossible and too costly… I’ve no idea what to do about this. Fix the shit holes they come from so they stay there?
1498 legal work visas a day on average, 1452 student visas daily.
Perhaps we can be focusing on reducing those and how small boat arrivals are a small proportion of migrants in total if you really care about migration? Perhaps see how most of those workers are going to healthcare because we can pay them less than “our own”?
Perhaps just massively increase how quickly we process people?
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2024/summary-of-latest-statistics