Small boat crossings of the English Channel are on the verge of reaching a major milestone, with official figures showing 199,828 arrivals since 2018 and the total expected to surpass 200,000 within a day or two.
Despite the high number of arrivals, deportations have remained relatively low. Fewer than 8,000 people have been removed from the UK over the same period, accounting for less than 4% of those who made the journey. The crossings, often carried out in overcrowded and unsafe vessels departing from France and, increasingly, Belgium, continue to pose significant risks, with recent incidents resulting in fatalities.
A central issue in British politics ahead of upcoming local elections, opposition figures are criticising the government’s handling of border control and migration policy. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp stated:
Crossings are up 45% since the election and Labour has no control of our borders.
In response, Reform UK has unveiled a proposal to address illegal migration if it comes to power. The party has pledged to build new detention centres for illegal migrants in areas that vote Green, in a proposal it says is designed to ensure “democratic consent” for its mass deportation policy.
Reform says that in office it could detain up to 24,000 individuals at a time and deport all illegal migrants, which it estimates could number as many as 600,000.
Nigel Farage’s Reform says it will deport all illegal migrants in Britain—estimated by the party to number up to 600,000—if it forms a government. It also plans to hold up to 24,000 people at any one time in purpose-built facilities while they await removal.
