Migrants heap pressure on UK govt

Pressure is building on the United Kingdom government to secure the nation's borders after a massive influx of illegal migrants on the weekend.

The 1,194 people who entered the UK by crossing the English Channel on 18 small boats on Saturday was the largest single-day total so far this year and came in stark contrast to the promises of the Labour Party government to crack down on such entries.

Most of the new arrivals claimed asylum and will be housed in the UK while their claims are investigated, a process that will likely take several months.

Those able to prove they are fleeing war or persecution will be allowed to remain.

Defence Secretary John Healey admitted to Sky News the influx shows the UK has "lost control of its borders over the last five years".

"Our concentration now is to push (the French government) to get (a new agreement) into operation, so they can intercept these smugglers and stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore," Healey said.

He explained that the new agreement calls for the police on the French side of the English Channel to stop migrants after they board the boats but while they are still in shallow water, something that is not currently happening.

Saturday's influx, which was aided by calm seas and warm weather, brought the total so far this year to 14,812, some 42 percent up on the total at the same point last year and 95 percent up on the total at the same point in 2023.

In all, around 37,000 people entered the UK after crossing the English Channel illegally in 2024. The largest influx on record was recorded in 2022, when 46,000 people arrived that way.

Saturday's influx was close to the single-day record of 1,305, which was set in 2022.

Healey told Sky News the situation is "shocking" and that the scene on some French beaches now resembles people waiting for a taxi.

The BBC quoted a Home Office official as saying: "We all want to end dangerous small-boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay, and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice."

The large number of migrant arrivals in recent years has stoked support for the far-right, anti-immigrant Reform UK party, which is currently topping national opinion polls but holds only 5 seats out of 650 available in the Parliament.

With voters demanding action, France and the UK have recently increased the scale and scope of joint operations in the English Channel, and improved intelligence-sharing, but critics say more needs to be done.

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