Immigration: Almost 700 migrants cross Channel into the UK in a single day

Almost 700 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in a single day, a record for the year so far.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Aug 2022, 21:55 BST
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Ramsgate, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel this week.A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Ramsgate, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel this week.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Ramsgate, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel this week.

Some 696 made the journey in 14 boats on Monday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

This is the highest number on a single day so far this year, and only the second time in 2022 the daily figure has topped 600.

The previous highest number was 651 recorded on April 13.

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The latest crossings saw large groups of people, including young children, brought ashore in Ramsgate before leaving the Kent port on double-decker buses.

The data suggests there was an average of around 50 on each boat that day.

More than 17,000 people have arrived in the UK after navigating busy shipping lanes from France in small boats such as dinghies so far in 2022, according to government figures.

Some 3,683 migrants made the crossing on 90 boats in July, the highest monthly total this year, PA news agency analysis of the figures shows.

Journeys took place on 20 out of 31 days.

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It is more than three months since Home Secretary Priti Patel unveiled plans to send migrants to Rwanda to try to deter people from crossings the Channel.

Since then 11,827 have arrived in the UK after making the journey.

On April 14 Ms Patel signed what she described as a “world-first” agreement with Rwanda under which the east African nation will receive migrants deemed by the UK to have arrived “illegally” and are therefore inadmissible under new immigration rules.

But the first deportation flight, due to take off on June 14, was grounded amid legal challenges.

Related topics:ImmigrationPriti PatelRwandaFranceKent