The number of migrants who crossed the English Channel from northern France to England irregularly broke a new daily record on Saturday for 2023, according to British Government statistics released this Sunday.
About 872 people, aboard 15 boats, crossed the canal, breaking the record established on August 10, when 756 people ventured on that dangerous journey. So far this year, more than 21,000 migrants have arrived on the southern coasts of the United Kingdom, the AFP news agency reported.
However, this figure is lower than that reported in 2022 at the same time of year, although it still represents a major political problem for the British Government.
After leaving the European Union (EU) at the end of 2020, London promised to tighten border controls. Your current prime minister, Conservative Rishi Sunak prioritized “stopping the boats” of undocumented migrants.
Despite having tightened the legislation, which prohibits migrants arriving illegally on British soil from being able to request asylum, the Government has failed to put a stop to this phenomenon, which has intensified in recent years, causing dozens of deaths.
Last week the British Government reported on the possibility of placing electronic locators on immigrants who cross the English Channel by boat, an initiative that generated criticism and reactions from human rights organizations.
Meanwhile, the plan to send migrants to Rwanda or to other countries continues to be blocked by Justice. In June, the UK Court of Appeal ruled that Rwanda cannot be considered a safe third country due to risks to migrants.
Among the strategies to stop immigration, in April of this year, the British Government promoted a controversial measure to house asylum seekers who crossed the English Channel: a barge, named ‘Bibby Stockholm’, situated off the coast of Portland, Dorset, southern England with capacity to accommodate up to 500 people.
It was not until August that “Bibby Stockholm” received its first 39 occupants, due to delays linked to fire safety issues. But on August 11, a health emergency led to the total evacuation of its occupantsafter a bacteria that causes a serious variant of pneumonia was detected on board.
The British Home Office is also considering the option of using tents as an accommodation solution for asylum seekers, a move that aims to reduce costs.
At the end of March 2023, the United Kingdom was hosting more than 47,000 applicants in hotels scattered across the country.
The Government kept nearly 5,000 hotel beds unoccupied, a measure adopted to prevent overcrowding in detention centers, according to Interior Ministry sources.
Since 2018, more than 100,000 people have crossed the English Channel on precarious boats from France, when the United Kingdom began counting arrivals of this type.
As of the end of June this year, more than 175,000 people were waiting for a decision on whether they would be granted refugee status, 44% more than last year.
