Dozens of migrants were pictured being brought into Dover this morning, as new Home Office figures revealed more than 10,000 have tried to cross the Channel in small boats so far this year.
The typhoon cutter was seen bringing small crowds of people ashore as the number of arrivals in the country continued to increase amid the warm weather.
About 374 people were identified on Saturday, bringing the provisional total for 2023 to 10,139.
In 2022 there were 45,755 crossings.
Crossings have picked up in recent days after a quiet spell earlier in the month, with 2,529 arrivals reported between June 10 and 17.
Dozens of migrants were pictured being brought into Dover this morning, days after more than 200 were stopped by Border Force officers trying to cross the Channel.
The typhoon cutter was seen bringing small crowds of people ashore as arrivals in the country continued to rise amid the warm weather.
Around 10,000 have already made the perilous crossing in small boats this year, with more than 45,000 set to make the journey in 2022.
Seven boats were detected on Saturday, suggesting an average of about 53 people per boat crossed the Channel.
However, the total number of crossings so far this year is below the same number as at this point last year.
More than 11,300 crossings have been detected by 17 June 2022 – 1,000 more than the 10,139 crossings detected so far in 2023.
The Home Office and the French government will join forces to launch a surveillance plane that will fly across the English Channel 24/7 to catch people smugglers.
The move, designed to cut the overall number of migrants and vulnerable asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats, is seen as the ‘final piece of the puzzle’ to cut crossings.
The news comes after the French interior minister told RFI on Thursday: ‘We are guarding the border for the British people. So you would expect thanks instead of complaints.’
The plane is said to be all-weather capable, meaning it will not be affected by conditions that currently affect drones employed in similar roles, which cannot fly in heavy cloud cover.
The aircraft is expected to improve the ability of French and English authorities to prosecute people smugglers due to its ability to film crossings for evidence of possible legal action.
It will also improve authorities’ ability to track boats making dangerous crossings.
Meanwhile, an investigation has revealed how Albanian migrants who entered the UK illegally are paying traffickers up to £30,000 to provide fake families.
Migrants are being offered sham marriages via TikTok by gangs who have recruited British or EU single mothers and their children.
The investigation found that TikTok videos were being targeted at prisoners trying to fight deportation from the UK, as well as those who entered the country illegally.
Migrants were brought ashore in Dover this morning after the Border Force was withdrawn
After the latest TikTok scandal emerged it was revealed that Albanian gangs had launched an advertising blitz offering stowaway trips to migrants trying to come to the UK as well as Channel crossings.
More than a quarter of the 45,755 people who crossed the Channel in small boats last year came from Albania.
The Telegraph reported that a TikTok account was posting clips offering to act as middle-men to link migrants with gang-recruited mothers.
The account, created on May 10, also offered a service to find guarantors who would provide fake UK addresses.
These services can help an illegal immigrant get immigration bail, which they can currently do if they have a place to stay in the UK.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is putting unprecedented pressure on our asylum system.
‘Our priority is to stop the boats, and our Small Boat Operational Command is working with our French partners and other agencies to intercept people smugglers.
‘The Government has gone further by introducing legislation which will ensure that people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and immediately removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.’
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