Nearly 400 migrants reached UK yesterday in six small boats as people trafficking gangs take advantage of hot weather
Approximately 400 immigrants arrived in England yesterday in six small boats, with human trafficking gangs taking advantage of the hot weather.
Dramatic footage showed migrants’ young children perched on their parents’ shoulders as they waded through the sea at Dunkirk before crossing the Channel in six small boats.
Other photos show older children struggling in the water after failing to get on one of the inflatable boats.
A total of 394 migrants arrived in the UK on Friday, marking the first successful small boat crossing in nearly two weeks.
Men wearing life jackets were seen being taken away from the Border Security Command ship after arriving on the Kent coast; previous crossings were recorded on 9 May.
The end of recent bad weather allowed several transit initiatives to be launched yesterday as temperatures are expected to continue to rise over the bank holiday weekend.
The number of arrivals is down 44 percent compared to this time last year, and is down 23 percent compared to the same point in 2024.
Experts said this could be due to a number of different factors, including weather, the supply of small boat parts, government policy and the number of migrants arriving in Europe.
Approximately 400 immigrants arrived in England yesterday in six small boats, with human trafficking gangs taking advantage of the hot weather. Picture: A migrant carrying a small child at sea waits to board an inflatable boat on Dunkirk beach
A distressed migrant swims in the sea after failing to board an inflatable boat on Dunkirk beach
Migrants board inflatable boats on Dunkirk beach
Dramatic footage showed migrants’ young children perched on their parents’ shoulders as they waded through the sea at Dunkirk before crossing the Channel in six small boats.
An immigrant family who cannot ride an inflatable boat on the Dunkirk beach is at sea.
Migrants trying to cross the English Channel on an inflatable boat on the Dunkirk beach
Police watch as migrants wait to board inflatable boats on Dunkirk beach
This comes after it was revealed that net migration in the UK fell to an estimated 171,000 last year; This number is the lowest since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Figures for the 12 months to December were down 48 per cent compared to the previous year (331,000), according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The estimate, the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country, has fallen below 200,000 for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The figures could lead to renewed calls for Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood to water down immigration policies.
Marley Morris, of the Public Policy Research Institute think tank, said the Government’s progress ‘should encourage a more measured debate’.
In April, Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year deal to pay France £662 million to support beach patrols in a bid to reduce arrivals.
The Home Office said the regulation would see officers ‘target and detain’ migrants on the French coast in a bid to turn hundreds of people away from beaches each year.
This means Labor will hand over £501 million to fund five police units and enforcement activities on the French coast; The extra £160 million will only be paid if new tactics to block Channel crossings are successful.
If the efforts fail, additional funding will stop after a year, the Interior Ministry said.
It has also been confirmed for the first time that the new initiative by French authorities to stop boats at sea will only apply to boats with fewer than 20 migrants on board.
Under Labour’s new deal, extra payments of £53 million a year will partly depend on how many boats are stopped at sea.
British money will pay for a new specialist ship for the French to use in interventions and an extra 20 trained naval officers to carry out the job.
The money will also be used to pay for two new helicopters for the French to use in surveillance operations along the coastline.
Additional British funds will cover the cost of a new 50-man police riot squad specially trained to disperse large groups of people.
On 27 April, more than 100 small boat migrants were rescued by the French coastguard after their boat broke down in the Channel.
The maritime authority said several people had difficulty trying to climb onto the boat, including a woman who lost consciousness and had to be evacuated by helicopter.
