- 711 migrants crossed the English Channel in small vessels Wednesday
- 8,278 migrants arrived by boat this year, 34% increase
- First unsuccessful asylum applicant returned to Rwanda
On Wednesday, 711 individuals were observed traversing the English Channel in small vessels, the most for a single day this year.
Home Office estimates place the total number of migrants arriving by small vessels for the year at 8,278 as of this moment.
This figure represents a 34% increase compared to the corresponding period in the previous year (6,192 individuals), and a 19% increase over the same period in 2022 (6,945 migrants).
The detection of fourteen vessels on Wednesday indicates that, on average, there were approximately fifty-one individuals per vessel.
In the entirety of 2023, 29,437 migrants arrived by small boat from France at the coast of Kent, representing a reduction of approximately one-third compared to the corresponding period in 2022.
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A collision yesterday week aboard a vessel traversing the English Channel claimed the lives of five individuals, one of whom was a seven-year-old girl.
It was reported on Wednesday that the first unsuccessful asylum applicant had been returned to Rwanda as part of a voluntary removal program that, according to the government, will discourage future migrants from crossing the Channel.
Five months ago, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made “stop the boats” one of five significant commitments.
“The unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the Channel demonstrates precisely why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible,” a Home Office spokesperson said.
They further stated that they “maintained a close collaboration” with the French police in their efforts to avert “these perilous, unlawful, and superfluous journeys.”
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