UK: Channel Migrant Crossings Hit New Record
The UK Defense Ministry said on Tues. that 1,295 migrants had been detected crossing the English Channel from France. The number is the highest ever recorded, up more than 100 from the previous single-day record of 1,185 set on Nov. 11, 2021.
Facts
- The UK Defense Ministry said on Tues. that 1,295 migrants had been detected crossing the English Channel from France. The number is the highest ever recorded, up more than 100 from the previous single-day record of 1,185 set on Nov. 11, 2021.
- The total for the month now stands at 6,168 and at least 22.5k on the year, up from 3,683 last month and 12.5k at this time last year. According to one BBC report, most were "young men," along with some families.
- The news comes as recent reports indicate people smugglers are using a wide variety of tactics to transport migrants into the UK, including using jet skis.
- Outgoing PM Boris Johnson had hoped that the Rwandan deal - in which the UK government would contract the East African country to accept thousands of illegal migrants deported from Britain - would be a deterrent. However, the policy is yet to start as it has been held up by legal objections.
- Channel crossings are now thought to predominantly consist of Albanians, with 5k believed to have made the trek so far this year.
- Last year, over 28.5k migrants were detected arriving to the UK in small boats - estimates put the number that could arrive by the end of this year as high as 60k. Both candidates currently running to take over Johnson's role as PM have vowed to re-initiate the Rwanda deportation deal.
Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC News, Newsweek, Reuters, and Daily Mail.
Narratives
- Right narrative, as provided by Telegraph. Although France had promised to help stop this egregious industry of people smuggling between the two countries, it's now clear that those pledges were empty. With Albanian gangs, on top of the usual groups from Africa, now known to be contributing to this crisis, the British government must take its own strong actions to end this illegal activity.
- Left narrative, as provided by CNN. Those making the dangerous trip across the English Channel aren't illegal aliens, they're refugees from poor, war-torn parts of the world. As such, they should be treated with dignity and welcomed into Britain with open arms, not treated like criminals and deported to nations like Rwanda, where their human rights will continue to be under threat.
