In less than 24 hours, the British Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that 1,295 refugees had been registered. Men, women and small children came ashore at Dover after fishing from rubber boats at sea. Refugees came through the Strait of Calais, the narrowest part of the canal.
Since the beginning of 2020, more and more refugees have been trying to cross this route into the UK illegally. Last year, British authorities intercepted a total of more than 28,000 people. This number is expected to be higher in 2022. The counter currently stands at 22,670, almost double what it was at this time last year.
As stricter legislation to deal with human traffickers now seems to be working, there was hope that the numbers would decrease. In early July, a large network of human traffickers was dismantled. According to the European police organization Europol, the network sent ten thousand refugees to England by boat in a year and a half.
Headache file
The government now fears a total of 60,000 people will cross the canal this year. The costs of processing all asylum applications and arranging housing are sky high. Drastic measures, such as deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, were supposed to deter refugees, but the European Court of Human Rights rejected the controversial plan in June.
The flow of refugees is a headache for British politics. The immigration debate also played a large role in the run-up to Brexit. It stands to reason that without the yoke of European immigration policy, the island could defend its borders with relative ease. But it cannot get a grip on immigration.
The incursion causes tension between the United Kingdom and France. According to the British government, Paris did not do enough to stop the boats. The French government, on the other hand, says it lacks the ability to control the entire coast and stop all boats. The government also points out that British employment laws are attractive to migrants.
This crossing is mainly carried out in summer, when the weather is good. But refugees keep coming even in winter. The previous daily registration was 1,185 people as of November 2021. Bad weather is not the only danger to refugees. The Strait of Calais is the busiest sea passage in the world. Up to eight hundred vessels can pass each day, making it difficult to avoid small migrant boats.
