More than 1,000 small boat migrants have crossed the English Channel today, at the end of a week in which just three migrants were returned to France.
GB News can exclusively reveal that the number who crossed on Friday reached 1,061 after 195 arrived on the Border Force vessel Ranger just after 9pm.
It follows 166 migrants who made it to Dover on the first Border Force vessel at 10am on Friday.
Throughout the day, Border Force and lifeboats from Ramsgate and Dover responded to back-to-back sightings of migrant boats.
UK maritime authorities are on alert for the possibility of more crossings overnight tonight, as weather conditions in the Channel are expected to remain good until around Saturday lunchtime.
The latest figures come after the Home Office confirmed a third asylum seeker has been removed from the UK under the “one-in, one-out” returns deal with France aimed at stopping small boats crossing the Channel.
Home Office sources said the man, an Iranian, had been returned to France on Friday.
The removal of the Iranian national comes after the removal of an Indian man on Thursday and an Eritrean man earlier on Friday after he lost a High Court bid to halt his removal.
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Migrants seen boarding small boats in northern France this evening
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Although the Home Office source would not comment on exact numbers, they said the removals were expected to be “at or close to parity”, given the “one in, one out” nature of the deal.
During his unprecedented second State Visit to the UK, US President Donald Trump suggested Sir Keir Starmer should involve the military in tackling the small boats crisis, warning illegal migration could “destroy” countries.
Mr Trump highlighted his record in securing the borders in the US and suggested the UK faced a similar challenge.
Mr Trump said: “What I saw happening, with millions of people pouring into our country, I couldn’t stand to watch it, and we’ve done a great job.”
Migrants waited on the coast of northern France this morning
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“The last three months we had zero – from millions of people a year ago, we had zero people enter our country illegally.”
“I think your situation is very similar. You have people coming in and I told the Prime Minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use.
“It destroys countries from within and we’re actually now removing a lot of the people that came into our country.”
Speaking today, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the Navy can be called upon “if needed” to tackle illegal migration.
During his second State Visit, Donald Trump suggested Sir Keir Starmer should involve the military in tackling the small boats crisis
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He continued: “Well, what he suggested was the military are used, but we have the UK Border Force that is now established and has been reinforced and bolstered and have new powers under this Government.
“The Navy actually does have a working relationship with the UK Border Force, and the Navy can be called upon if needed.
“So we do have the functional relationship that we need between our military and keeping our borders safe and secure but what we really need at the moment is our military focused on all of those really key issues around the world, directly relating to our national defence.”