Migrant crisis: Illegal arrivals pass record milestone as more than 750 cross in small boats in ONE DAY

Migrant crisis: Illegal arrivals pass record milestone as more than 750 cross in small boats in ONE DAY

WATCH: Illegal migrant crossings pass record milestone

GB News
Mark White

By Mark White


Published: 18/06/2024

- 12:12

Updated: 18/06/2024

- 19:53

More than 600 migrants have arrived so far today with more crossings still expected

Additional reporting by Tom Fredericks

The Channel migrant crisis deepened on Tuesday with a record number making the illegal crossing from France.

GB News can reveal that at least 750 small boat migrants arrived in UK waters today.


That number surpasses the previous one-day record of 711 small boat migrants who arrived on May 1.

It takes the total number of migrants who have crossed this year to almost 12,200.

The total number of people who have crossed since the Prime Minister made his pledge to stop the crossings has now reached almost 41,500.

GB News sources confirmed three small boats arrived in UK waters in the early hours on Monday, and more than 130 people were taken to the Border Force processing centre in Dover harbour.

They were the first small boat arrivals since last Thursday, after several days of poor weather conditions in the Channel prevented crossings.

Border Force prepared for a so called 'Red Day' today, expecting a significant number of small boat launches, as weather conditions improved significantly overnight.

More than 600 migrants have arrived so far todayGB NEWS

By 10:30am, GB News counted another 130 off the Border Force vessel Volunteer.

Another 84 were taken to the Kent coast on the Dover and Dungeness lifeboats.

By 1pm, another 134 migrants arrived in Dover onboard the Border Force vessel Hurricane, followed by a further 36 on another Border patrol boat.

Today's arrivals take the total number of migrants crossing the Channel illegally so far this year to 12,024.

That figure is 14 per cent higher than 10,472 who crossed at this point last year.

On 4 Jan last year, the Prime Minister said stopping the boats would be one of five key pledges of his government.

Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak said today he is 'determined' to stop the boats

Last year, the numbers of migrants arriving in the Channel fell by 36 per cent, but this year, illegal crossings are on track for a record year.

Reacting to the latest figures, Sunak said: "It's desperately sad to see young children being put in these dangerous situations making these crossings. It just illustrates why we have to stop the boats, something I am determined to do and have a clear plan to do so.

"If re-elected as Prime Minister the flights will go to Rwanda, we will build that deterrent, removing the incentives for people to come here in the first place. That is the only way to solve this problem."

The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he'll scrap the Rwanda plan and invest more in going after the criminal gangs involved in people smuggling instead.

Sir Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer said the Conservatives had 'lost control of the borders'

He told GB News today: "I think the idea of processing claims as close to source as possible is a good idea."

He added: "We also need to smash the gangs that are running that vile trade because under this Tory Government they have lost control of the borders.

"We will set up a border security command, a new elite command, with new powers and resources to smash the gangs.

"Nobody but nobody could be making that journey across the channel."

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