Six migrant boats were intercepted by border guards in the English Channel on Tuesday. Credit: Gareth Fuller/Pennsylvania
Migrant numbers Crossing the English Channel crossed the 20,000 mark this year after about 400 people arrived in the UK in small boats on Tuesday.
Half a dozen migrant boats were intercepted by border guard officers in the English Channel on Tuesday, bringing the total number of migrants across the English Channel to over 20,000 this year. this year it has increased to about 20,200 from 19,801.
This is 21 percent less than last year, when more than 25,000 people already traveled. Part of the reason, experts say, is that Albanians, who accounted for about a quarter of the 45,755 people last year, refused to cross the border this summer after the UK struck an expedited return deal with its government.
They did it. were replaced by growing cohorts of Afghans, Turks and Indians, but not in the same numbers as the Albanians. Bad weather in July and most of August this year is believed to have helped quell the crossings.
“The plan is working”
Speaking to broadcasters on Tuesday during a visit to Norfolk, Mr Sunak said: “This year , for the first time since the outbreak of the small craft crisis, the number of people crossing the border has decreased. It is important for people to understand this.
“This year, for the first time, the number of people crossing the border is less than a year earlier. This was not the case before. This shows that the plan is working. Of course, there is still a lot to be done, but I want people to be confident that we are moving forward and will continue to work.”
Earlier, Mr. Sunak downplayed suggestions that fewer transitions compared to the past year was due to bad weather, not political decisions.
The pace and volume of crossings slowed over the holiday weekend, with only 60 crossings. According to revised data from the Home Office, people traveled by one boat on Sunday, and no crossings were recorded on Saturday and Monday.
Tuesday crossings resumed: the photos show a boat full of men and boys, some without life jackets, sitting on the sides with their legs dangling in the water.
A boat crosses the English Channel full of men and boys, some without life jackets. Photo: Gareth Fuller/Pennsylvania
Weather in the UK has been more erratic this summer compared to last year's spike in activity. on the move in August. Although June 2023 was the warmest on record, July and August were much more volatile, with a series of low pressures bringing wind and rain.
The summer of 2022 was the fourth warmest on record in the UK and the warmest on record in England, with heatwaves in each of the three months.
TikTok ad
The Telegraph uncovered a TikTok ad featuring smugglers offered to migrants. crossing within three days or a refund.
Albanian gangs' new sales tactic is offering free boat rides if they don't cross within three days of arriving in northern France.
Their advertisement is promoted on the social network TikTok against the backdrop of a video of a group of young male migrants on a boat floating on the water.
He adopts a similar “cynical” sales tactic that includes two-for-one offers and free travel for a child when traveling with two adults.
“Don't trust a middleman who offers ferries for 2,000 euros,” the ad said. “They will keep you in the forest waiting for two months. Contact us. If we don't put you on the boat within three days, we will take you for free. Food and free cigarettes at our expense.”
After The Telegraph newspaper warned about the ad, TikTok said it removed it and blocked the accounts. A spokesman for the company stated: “Our community guidelines make it clear that we prohibit content that attempts to facilitate human smuggling and human trafficking.
“We have removed posted content and permanently banned accounts for violating these guidelines. »
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