The number of migrants illegally crossing the English Channel from France to enter the UK illegally has surpassed 20,000 this year, according to figures released by British authorities on Sunday (14/08/2022).
The Department of Defense reported that 607 people made the perilous route in small boats this Saturday alone, one of the busiest crossings so far this year. According to the British news agency PA, 20,010 people have crossed the English Channel since the beginning of the year, compared to 11,300 at the same time in 2021.
A total of 28,500 people arrived in the UK in this way last year, a record number that has risen steadily since 2018, when security was tightened in the French port of Calais and in the Channel Tunnel. A recent report from the UK Parliament estimates that by the end of 2022 the number of people arriving via this route could reach 60,000, more than double the number crossing the English Channel in 2021, despite repeated pledges by the Conservative government to curb immigration, one of the key Brexit Subjects. (afp)
