Another 150 migrants arrive in Dover after crossing the Channel in small boats just hours before first flight to Rwanda takes off with this week set to be one of 2022’s busiest yet for crossings
- 138 people made the perilous journey across the English Channel in three boats
- The mostly male arrivals could be seen being led along the gangway in Dover
- Seven or eight people are scheduled to leave on a flight today for Rwanda
More than 100 migrants arrived in the UK yesterday before the first flight to bring asylum seekers to Rwanda is scheduled to leave.
Judges decided that the plane to the African country could take off as official figures showed 138 people made the perilous journey across the English Channel in three boats.
It brings the total number of new arrivals to 705 in June alone, with the total for the year so far reaching 10,269.
The mostly male migrants could be seen being led along the gangway yesterday in Dover for processing by soldiers dressed in camouflage fatigues and high-vis vests and Border Force agents in Hazmat suits.
A further 92 adults and 12 children including a heavily pregnant woman were also brought to shore by Border Force this morning after attempting to cross the Channel.
When asked if they knew they could be sent to Rwanda, one migrant replied ‘What? No’ while others looked on in apparent confusion.
Court of Appeal judges rejected a legal challenge attempting to block the first flight in the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda amid pressure from human rights groups and opposition parties.
Seven or eight people are reported to be leaving on the flight this evening, which is estimated to be costing the government £500,000.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, today, by Border Force, following a small boat incident in the Channel
A man carries a child as migrants arrive at the Port of Dover
Migrants including a heavily pregnant woman and babies have been brought into Dover on two ships this morning.
The Dover RNLI lifeboat brought 10 to 20 migrants to shore while the Border Force ship Vigilant brought around 60 people into Dover.
Approximately 92 adults and 12 children have been brought to shore by Border Force this morning after attempting to cross the Channel.
So far this morning migrants have been brought into the Port of Dover aboard the Dover RNLI lifeboat and the BF Vigilant.
A further 50 people – mostly men in their late teens or 20s – have been brought to shore in Dover on the Border Force ship Hurricane in the third recue by a ship today.
A soldier carries a baby in his hand while at least 12 children were rescued today
A man is seen with a child while migrants are brought in to Dover by RNLI and the Border Force
One man carried a toddler on his shoulders as he came ashore, and one woman was heavily pregnant.
Asked where they came from refugees said Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Yesterday, Border Force cutter Hurricane took the first boat at around 3pm, while a second group of 50 people were escorted into the port on an RNLI lifeboat shortly before 8pm.
Another RNLI lifeboat brought a further 40 migrants to shore after dark at approximately 10.30pm.
Migrants on board one boat in the Calais Strait also got into difficulty and were rescued by the French on Monday.
A soldier carries a child nearby a woman coming off the boat in Dover today
Inflatable boats are towed into the marina after a group of people are brought in to Dover
A soldier is seen with a man carrying a child while wearing a life vest as over 100 migrants arrived today
Boat Notre Dame des Flandres was tasked with retrieving 43 migrants from the Channel, who were then dropped off at Gravelines where border police and the departmental fire and rescue service took care of them.
Boris Johnson accused lawyers representing migrants of ‘abetting the work of criminal gangs’ today as he defended the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda ahead of the expected first flight on Tuesday.
The plans have been challenged in the courts and condemned by the Church of England’s senior bishops and reportedly by the Prince of Wales, with the Prime Minister acknowledging that there had been criticism from ‘some slightly unexpected quarters’.
Migrants disembark at the Port of Dover, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel, today
A woman is helped ashore following a small boat incident in the Channel
An urgent interim injunction to stop the new scheme was brought about by migrant charity Asylum Aid but was rejected in the same court yesterday.
Mr Johnson insisted the Government would not be deterred by the attacks ‘not least from lawyers’ and told his Cabinet ministers that ‘we are going to get on and deliver’ the plan.
Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover, said: ‘The Channel Crossings put lives at risk in the hands of ruthless criminal gangs.
‘The action being taken by our Government to bring these dangerous crossings to an end is the compassionate, common sense and right thing to do.
‘It’s disappointing to see the courts being misused by political activists who support uncontrolled immigration.
‘There is no need for anyone to get on a small boat. People are safe in France and many other places before France.’
A pregnant woman is helped ashore from a group of people thought to be migrants
A member of the military assists a woman as migrants arrive
This week is predicted to be one of the busiest so far this year for small boat crossings as conditions at sea become calmer – with around 30 migrants already spotted floating in the Channel on a black dinghy.
Despite Home Office warnings some people could be deported to Rwanda to be relocated, 705 people have been detained in June alone.
The total number of migrants to make the treacherous journey across the 21-mile Dover Strait currently stands at 10,269 in 321 boats – more than double that of the same period in 2021 when just over 4,546 people had been detained.
According to figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), 28,526 made the crossing in 2021 – compared to 8,410 who arrived in 2020.
Migrants disembark at the Port of Dover, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel
Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, Tom Pursglove MP, has said: ‘The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable.
‘Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough.
‘Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we’re cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.’
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