The number of crossings has now surpassed that of 2021 when a record 28,526 persons traversed the Dover Strait in small boats.
With more than three months remaining in 2021, the number of persons who have crossed the English Channel to the United Kingdom in tiny boats has surpassed the total for the entire year.
On Monday, at least 601 individuals made the perilous voyage to Britain, raising the total for the year to at least 28,561.
In contrast, 28,526 individuals crossed the border in 2021.
Despite having some of the world’s busiest maritime lanes, the English Channel has seen an increase in the number of people risking their lives to enter the United Kingdom in recent years, frequently on unseaworthy dinghies after being exploited by human trafficking organizations.
In December 2018, the then-home secretary, Sajid Javid, declared a major incident over border crossings, even though only 299 individuals made the voyage that year.
Since then, the Home Office has frequently pledged to render the route “unviable”; nonetheless, the number of arrivals has continued to increase. In 2019, 1,843 were spotted, 8,466 in 2020, and 28,526 in 2021.
This year, it was estimated that as many as 60,000 individuals could arrive in Britain through tiny boats.
Last year, 27 individuals perished when their boat capsized off the coast of France, highlighting the grave dangers of overloading dinghies.
The UK government has threatened to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda to prevent others from attempting the crossing.
More than 22,000 people have crossed the Dover Strait on tiny boats since former home secretary Priti Patel announced the arrangement with Kigali despite the scheme’s legal difficulties.
To deter the crossings, the government has considered everything from sonic weapons to questionable pushback strategies.
It has been accused by barristers of attempting to “demonize” refugees by making statements about “lefty lawyers.”
