Number of Illegal Entries Into UK This Year Nears 10,000

A group of people thought to be illegal immigrants walk up the beach after being brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard the RNLI Dungeness Lifeboat, on May 17, 2022. Gareth Fuller/PA Media

Almost 10,000 people have entered the UK illegally by crossing the English Channel in small boats this year, official figures show.

By Friday, a total of 9,988 illegal immigrants arrived in small boats in 2022, according to the analysis of government data by the PA news agency.

Some 4,035 of these people arrived after April 14, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the government’s plan to put illegal immigrants on one-way flights to Rwanda in order to deter people smuggling by small boats.

Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib questioned the resettlement plan on Friday, telling Talk TV it’s “not actually working” in deterring channel crossings.

In its daily update on Saturday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that 40 people were brought ashore on Friday in a single boat. It followed the arrival of 139 illegal immigrants in six boats on Thursday and 198 in four boats on Wednesday, bringing this week’s total to 658.

A total of 28,526 people made the crossing in 2021, compared with 8,466 in 2020, 1,843 in 2019, and 299 in 2018, according to Home Office figures.

Between January and March this year, 4,540 people were found arriving by small boats, more than triple the number during the same three months in 2021 (1,363).

November 2021 saw the highest monthly number of channel crossings in the last four years, with 6,971 people successfully making the journey.

The MoD defines a “small boat” as one of a number of vessels used by individuals who cross the English Channel “with the aim of gaining entry to the UK without a visa or permission to enter—either directly by landing in the UK or having been intercepted at sea by the authorities and brought ashore.”

The most common small vessels detected making these types of crossings are rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs), dinghies, and kayaks.

The UK’s official figure doesn’t include those who failed to reach the UK after being intercepted by French authorities.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced on Wednesday that the first flight carrying illegal immigrants to Rwanda is expected to take off on June 14.

If they are successfully removed from the UK, the dozens of immigrants will be provided with a support package, including up to five years of training, accommodation, and health care on arrival, according to the Home Office.

The Home Office previously said it will carry out a case-by-case risk assessment when determining someone’s eligibility for relocation and take any vulnerabilities, including disabilities, sexual orientation, and gender reassignment status, into account.

But the tactic has attracted wide criticisms from opposition parties, charities, Conservative backbenchers, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.