Major overhaul of Border Force after failure to stem flow of Channel migrants
3 years, 5 months ago

Major overhaul of Border Force after failure to stem flow of Channel migrants

The Telegraph  

The Home Office has ordered a major overhaul of the Border Force amid growing frustration over the failure to stem the flow of illegal Channel migrants. The two directors general of Border Force and Immigration Enforcement are to quit their posts and will be replaced by a single supremo tasked with curbing the crossings and overhauling Britain’s “broken” asylum system. Consultants are also said to have been recruited to investigate a merger of the two Home Office directorates as the Government seeks to regain the initiative after a doubling in illegal migrant crossings this year and the failure to deport any to “safe” third countries. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, will unveil proposed new laws next week that will deny illegal migrants the right to settle in the UK even if they are granted asylum and allow the Government to send asylum seekers abroad for processing.

Channel Border Force Major Overhaul  major  overhaul  failure  office  border  illegal  uk  migrants  crossings  channel  flow  stem  asylum  force

History of this topic

Nearly 500 migrants cross English Channel in one day as nine boats make it to UK with numbers up on this time last year
2 months, 1 week ago

Nearly 500 migrants cross English Channel in one day as nine boats make it to UK with numbers up on this time last year

Daily Mail  

Nearly 500 migrants have made the crossing of the Channel to the UK in one day. According to Home Office figures, a total of 471 people arrived in nine boats on Saturday October 12, following 142 in two boats on Friday. Nearly 500 migrants have made the crossing of the Channel to the UK in one day According to Home …

Britain's small boat crisis! More than 13,0000 migrants have crossed the English Channel during Labour's first 100 days in power
2 months, 1 week ago

Britain's small boat crisis! More than 13,0000 migrants have crossed the English Channel during Labour's first 100 days in power

Daily Mail  

More than 13,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats during Labour's first 100 days in power. The figures lay bare the failure of Sir Keir Starmer to get a grip of the issue quickly and 'smash' the people smuggling gangs after ditching the Rwanda deportation scheme. An inflatable dinghy carrying migrants crosses the English Channel on August 6 …

Britain has most illegal migrants in Europe, study finds
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Britain has most illegal migrants in Europe, study finds

The Telegraph  

Senior Tories demanded that Sir Keir Starmer rethink Labour’s approach after the Prime Minister scrapped a scheme in which asylum seekers would have been sent to Rwanda while they were processed. James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary, said: “We need to deter people from coming here illegally and to root them out of our economy when they are here.” Robert …

More than 24,000 migrants have now crossed the Channel this year after another 700 were intercepted - as Tory leader favourite Robert Jenrick claims dozens of terror suspects have 'waltzed in' on smal
3 months ago

More than 24,000 migrants have now crossed the Channel this year after another 700 were intercepted - as Tory leader favourite Robert Jenrick claims dozens of terror suspects have 'waltzed in' on smal

Daily Mail  

More than 700 migrants crossed the Channel in 11 small boats yesterday, meaning a total of 24,335 people have been detected making the journey so far this year. British Border Force officials escort migrants into Dover Docks in Kent Migrants wrapped in towels after they were picked up in the English Channel by British Border Force A French warship was …

Labour is accused of 'undoing Tories work' on tackling Channel crisis - as 25,300 small boat migrants granted asylum in just one year
4 months ago

Labour is accused of 'undoing Tories work' on tackling Channel crisis - as 25,300 small boat migrants granted asylum in just one year

Daily Mail  

The number of Channel migrants winning permission to stay indefinitely in Britain has quadrupled as efforts to increase deportations have stalled. Home Office data revealed more than 25,300 people who arrived by small boat were granted asylum or another type of humanitarian protection in the year to June – making up a third of all types of asylum claims in …

Almost 500 migrants cross the English Channel in a single day
4 months ago

Almost 500 migrants cross the English Channel in a single day

Daily Mail  

Almost 500 migrants crossed the Channel in nine small boats on Saturday. Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly said: 'When Labour ditched our deterrent they sent a dangerous signal to people smugglers that they were not willing to take tough action to control our borders – and the smugglers are reaping the benefits.' The Home Office said last night: 'The new …

Channel migrant crossings at highest since Starmer came to power
4 months, 1 week ago

Channel migrant crossings at highest since Starmer came to power

The Telegraph  

James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary and a Tory leadership candidate, said: “When Labour ditched our deterrent they sent a dangerous signal to the people smugglers that they were not willing to take the tough action necessary to control our borders, and the smugglers are reaping the benefits. “This new Government must urgently take action to get a grip on …

Five thousand migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats since Keir Starmer became Prime Minister, new figures show
4 months, 1 week ago

Five thousand migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats since Keir Starmer became Prime Minister, new figures show

Daily Mail  

5,000 migrants have now crossed the English Channel on small boats since Labour won the general election in July, Home Office figures have confirmed. 5,000 migrants have now crossed the English Channel on small boats since Labour won the general election in July, Home Office figures have confirmed Your browser does not support iframes. Dinghies have continued to enter British …

Migrant Channel crossings since Labour election victory top 1,000
5 months, 1 week ago

Migrant Channel crossings since Labour election victory top 1,000

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Migrants accuse French police of forcing them into Channel crossings as numbers hit new record
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Migrants accuse French police of forcing them into Channel crossings as numbers hit new record

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Why this endless torture of ripping apart our tents every few weeks?” Charity workers …

Small boat channel crossings top 5,000 in record start to 2024
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Small boat channel crossings top 5,000 in record start to 2024

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” is in tatters after …

Almost 5,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in 2024
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Almost 5,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in 2024

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said: “A year which started with Rishi Sunak and …

Migrant crossings of English Channel declined by more than a third in 2023, UK government says
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Migrant crossings of English Channel declined by more than a third in 2023, UK government says

Associated Press  

LONDON — The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in 2023 fell by more than a third from the previous year, marking the first decline since current record-keeping began, the British government said. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made “stop the boats” one of his top priorities as his conservative government has pushed strict immigration laws to curb the …

More than 230 people arrive in UK in latest small boats Channel crossing
1 year, 3 months ago

More than 230 people arrive in UK in latest small boats Channel crossing

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A total of 234 people in five small boats are …

Channel migrant arrivals hit 100,000 since 2018
1 year, 4 months ago

Channel migrant arrivals hit 100,000 since 2018

The Telegraph  

More than 100,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats in the past five years. Around 600 migrants travelling in at least 11 boats are believed to have arrived on Thursday as people smugglers took advantage of clear skies and calmer seas after four days of rain and high winds scuppered crossings. The landmark total coincides with the …

Indian-origin UK Home Minister Proposes New Crackdown on Illegal Migrants
1 year, 9 months ago

Indian-origin UK Home Minister Proposes New Crackdown on Illegal Migrants

News 18  

Britain’s Indian-origin Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, on Tuesday announced a new Illegal Migration Bill that will mean migrants arriving in the UK illegally on small boats will be ”removed swiftly”. The Home Secretary said the new bill will mean last-minute judicial reviews ”conducted late at night with no chance to make our case or even appeal decisions” are no longer …

How does the UK government plan to stop the Channel crossings?
1 year, 9 months ago

How does the UK government plan to stop the Channel crossings?

Al Jazeera  

Newly proposed legislation would mean unauthorised arrivals will be prevented from claiming asylum and deported. Home secretary Suella Braverman admitted on Tuesday that the government had “pushed the boundaries of international law” with a bill dubbed the “Illegal Migration Bill” that will bar asylum claims by anyone who reaches the UK by irregular means, and allow the authorities to deport …

Total number of migrants crossing Channel in small boats passes 2,000
1 year, 10 months ago

Total number of migrants crossing Channel in small boats passes 2,000

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The total number of migrants who have crossed the English …

Channel migrants surpass 40,000 this year ahead of deal with France to curb crossings
2 years, 1 month ago

Channel migrants surpass 40,000 this year ahead of deal with France to curb crossings

The Telegraph  

The number of Channel migrants reaching the UK this year has passed 40,000 for the first time, as Britain and France are poised to announce a new £63 million deal to curb the crossings. Nearly 2,000 crossed the Channel on Saturday and Sunday in small boats, after more than a week when bad weather prevented any migrants reaching the UK. …

Another 200 migrants arrive in UK after being caught trying to cross
2 years, 4 months ago

Another 200 migrants arrive in UK after being caught trying to cross

Daily Mail  

Another 200 migrants arrived in the UK today after being caught trying to cross the English Channel in a small boat. Almost 700 people made the dangerous journey on Monday, the busiest day for Channel crossings so far this year, as the total soared past a record 17,000. Border Force ship Hurricane brought around 40-50 people, including a small number …

'Hundreds' more migrants picked up in Channel and brought ashore
2 years, 4 months ago

'Hundreds' more migrants picked up in Channel and brought ashore

Daily Mail  

Several hundred migrants, including young children, are estimated to have been brought ashore in Ramsgate today, taking the overall number of Channel crossings to the UK this year to 16,389. This comes amid reports the Home Secretary could announce another multimillion-pound deal with France in a bid to curb Channel crossings. Several hundred migrants, including young children, are estimated to …

Report: UK clearly overwhelmed by surge in migrant crossings
2 years, 5 months ago

Report: UK clearly overwhelmed by surge in migrant crossings

Associated Press  

LONDON — Britain’s response to growing numbers of migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats is poor and officials are clearly overwhelmed on some days, an independent inspection found in a report published Thursday. Since the start of the year, around 15,100 people have reached British shores after crossing the English Channel — one of the world’s busiest shipping …

Priti Patel’s Rwanda asylum plan may have led to increase in Channel crossings
2 years, 5 months ago

Priti Patel’s Rwanda asylum plan may have led to increase in Channel crossings

The Telegraph  

Priti Patel’s Rwanda asylum plan has failed to deter Channel migrants and may have led to an increase in crossings, an all party committee of MPs warned on Monday. The Home Affairs Committee said the controversial policy had encouraged people smugglers to “scaremonger” by telling migrants they needed to cross the Channel now before the plan was fully operational. “One …

Priti Patel hails new borders bill and vows to crack down on people-smugglers
2 years, 7 months ago

Priti Patel hails new borders bill and vows to crack down on people-smugglers

Daily Mail  

Priti Patel has hailed the passing by Parliament of a landmark law that she vows will finally fix Britain’s ‘broken’ asylum system. Writing in the Daily Mail, the Home Secretary says the Nationality and Borders Act will crack down on ‘evil’ people-smugglers facilitating dangerous Channel crossings. Home Secretary Priti Patel says the Nationality and Borders Act will crack down on …

Up to 65,000 migrants could cross the Channel this year, Priti Patel is warned
2 years, 11 months ago

Up to 65,000 migrants could cross the Channel this year, Priti Patel is warned

The Telegraph  

Writing for The Telegraph, Tony Smith, a former Border Force director general, said projections of more than 60,000 people crossing were "not unreasonable". Ms Patel, the Home Secretary, on Monday publicly confirmed for the first time that the Armed Forces were ready to deploy naval ships, boats and sophisticated surveillance technology to bolster the Border Force, which is limited to …

Record number of migrant boats crossed the English Channel to Britain in 2021
2 years, 11 months ago

Record number of migrant boats crossed the English Channel to Britain in 2021

LA Times  

People believed to be migrants are brought to Dover, in southern England, on Tuesday by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a maritime charity. At least 28,300 people packed into small boats crossed the English Channel from France to England’s southern coast in 2021, a record number that was triple the previous year’s tally. news agency based on data from Britain’s …

Deaths in English Channel fuel U.K.-France tensions over migrant boats
3 years, 1 month ago

Deaths in English Channel fuel U.K.-France tensions over migrant boats

LA Times  

A group of people believed to be migrants is transported to Dover, England, via lifeboat on Thursday. Despite a pledge from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron that they would “do everything possible” to stop people smugglers from endangering lives, politicians on both sides of the channel are already blaming their counterparts for failing to prevent …

France must intercept every Channel migrant, Priti Patel to say
3 years, 1 month ago

France must intercept every Channel migrant, Priti Patel to say

The Telegraph  

The UK handed over the first instalment of £54 million in funding for extra police patrols and surveillance after Mr Darmanin pledged to deliver a 100 per cent interception rate once all the money had been paid. “There is no single solution to this global crisis, but I am clear that through our New Plan for Immigration and our partnership …

Border Force braced for 22,000 Channel migrants this year
3 years, 5 months ago

Border Force braced for 22,000 Channel migrants this year

Daily Mail  

Border Force have braced for 22,000 Channel migrants this year as record numbers make the dangerous crossing. French patrol crafts have been allowing boats filled with migrants to leave the coast, with sources even suggesting they're 'escorting' dinghies to the edge of British waters. The French lifeboat service, the SNSM, is called out almost daily to help rescue migrants as …

Money alone can’t solve the Channel migrants crisis – co-operation and technology might
3 years, 5 months ago

Money alone can’t solve the Channel migrants crisis – co-operation and technology might

The Telegraph  

The zoom call that Priti Patel took on Tuesday evening added another £54 million to the £142 million that Britain has already handed to France to combat illegal migration across the Channel in the past six years. The Home Secretary agreed with her French counterpart, Gerald Darmanin, to hand over the extra cash as the number of migrants reaching the …

Britain hands France £53m to combat surge in Channel migrants as over 700 reach UK in two days
3 years, 5 months ago

Britain hands France £53m to combat surge in Channel migrants as over 700 reach UK in two days

The Telegraph  

Britain last night handed the French an extra £53 million to combat the surge in Channel migrants as more than 700 overran Border Force and reached the UK in just two days. RNLI rescue craft, coastguards, fishing vessels and even a TV crew on a hired boat yesterday helped Border Force vessels deal with the record numbers of migrants crossing …

Migrants face arrest on arrival after crossing the Channel
3 years, 5 months ago

Migrants face arrest on arrival after crossing the Channel

The Telegraph  

Migrants intercepted in the English Channel could be arrested on arrival in the UK, under the Government’s Borders Bill, which will also make it harder for asylum seekers to prove they should remain in the country. Ministers are concerned the current offence of “entering” the country without leave does not technically cover migrants being intercepted in UK territorial waters and …

‘Inhumane’: UK plan for tougher asylum system draws criticism
3 years, 9 months ago

‘Inhumane’: UK plan for tougher asylum system draws criticism

Al Jazeera  

The government is attempting crack down on people who arrive by unauthorised routes, such as in small boats or in trucks. Home Secretary Priti Patel said asylum-seekers who come to Britain through organised, Those who enter the country otherwise will only be given temporary permission to stay, will receive limited benefits and will be “regularly reassessed for removal from the …

Border Force detain 49 migrants in English Channel
3 years, 10 months ago

Border Force detain 49 migrants in English Channel

Daily Mail  

Border Force detained 49 migrants at Dover after they attempted to cross the English Channel in three boats on Saturday - taking the number of arrivals this year up to 285. Six men were initially caught making the crossing in a brand new grey, yellow and blue rigid hulled inflatable boat amid calm and mild conditions in the early hours …

France rebuffs UK's drone offer to stop Channel migrants leaving beaches in first place
4 years, 3 months ago

France rebuffs UK's drone offer to stop Channel migrants leaving beaches in first place

The Telegraph  

France is rebuffing Britain’s offer of a hi-tech surveillance drone to help stop Channel migrants leaving its beaches despite the craft’s success in smashing a people smuggling gang. Dan O'Mahoney, the Home Office’s new migrants commander, met with French ambassador Catherine Colonna yesterday to urge her Government to step up its surveillance effort by using the UK’s Tekever AR5 drone …

Exclusive: Boris Johnson told to overhaul 'not fit for purpose' asylum system
4 years, 4 months ago

Exclusive: Boris Johnson told to overhaul 'not fit for purpose' asylum system

The Telegraph  

Boris Johnson must form a new "root and branch" asylum-seeking Bill that ends all claims if migrants pass through safe countries, more than 40 Conservative MPs have said. In a letter seen by The Telegraph, the newly formed Common Sense Group of MPs urged the Prime Minister to overhaul the UK’s asylum system that they claim “is unfit for purpose”. …

Analysis shows 7,500 illegal Channel migrants could reach UK by Christmas
4 years, 4 months ago

Analysis shows 7,500 illegal Channel migrants could reach UK by Christmas

The Telegraph  

French authorities do intercept some vessels but, when migrants refuse and threaten to jump into the water, the patrol boats withdraw as the preservation of life is the first law of the sea. However, Ms Patel has said UK legal advice suggested the migrants could be forcibly returned and has already overseen sea trials in which Border Force officers worked …

Record number of migrants reach UK on day Priti Patel announces new approach to deal with English Channel crossings
4 years, 5 months ago

Record number of migrants reach UK on day Priti Patel announces new approach to deal with English Channel crossings

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A new daily record has been set for the number …

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