"Another proof of the invasion": The migrant boat to England broke a record
230 migrants were crammed into a small boat that crossed the English Channel from France to England - the largest number of migrants on a single boat. The Labour government promises a "no-compromise fight" and boasts of a drop in the total number of migrants. Right-wing leader Farage suggests fighting the boats with the Navy - and freeing up space in prison with deportation to El Salvador.
In the UK, it is reported today (Monday) that 230 migrants arrived on the shores of England on a small inflatable boat that crossed the English Channel – the highest number ever of migrants on a single boat making the journey from the shores of France. The previous record was set only last month, when a boat carrying 165 migrants made the journey from the shores of France to England.
The boat arrived on the shores of England early in the morning. When it set out on its journey from the shores of north-west France, it was documented as being so crowded that many migrants were required to sit literally on its edge with their feet in the water. The Home Office in London stated that the latest incident testifies to the "reckless and dangerous tactics used by criminal gangs, which continue to endanger lives by cramming an increasing number of people into boats that are not seaworthy".
The reception of the crowded migrant boat came after 173 migrants were rescued last Tuesday from another boat that tried unsuccessfully to cross the channel and caught fire in the middle of the journey. The BBC notes that in recent years, the migrant smugglers who organize the dangerous journeys have been trying to cram more and more migrants into each boat: in 2018, the average in each boat that arrived on the shores of England was only seven passengers, while last year it already jumped to 62.
Despite the record broken today, the Labour government is actually boasting of data indicating a significant decrease in the total number of boat migrants: from the beginning of the year until August 8, the total number of those who crossed the channel stood at 14,819 – a drop of 43% compared to the same period last year. Last month, according to the British Home Office, the lowest number of crossings since July 2020 was recorded, and it claims the reason for this is success in the fight the government is waging against the smugglers' supply networks, those through which they obtain small boats and engines – with more than 1,100 of these confiscated in the two years that have passed since Labour came to power in 2024.
Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, we recall, was forced to resign last month following an internal rebellion in Labour and in the shadow of polls that showed a drop in the party's popularity under his leadership – and a central reason for this was the frustration of the British with the continued infiltration through the English Channel, when last year, for example, stormy protests broke out after it turned out that illegal migrants were even housed at the taxpayer's expense in hotels.
The polls indicated a dramatic jump in support for the far-right party Reform UK, which made the fight against illegal immigration its banner, and against this background, Starmer hardened his government's immigration policy. This did not save his status in Labour, but even the one who replaced him, Andy Burnham, who meanwhile enjoys much better popularity ratings than his predecessor, maintains a relatively tough message regarding immigration.
At the beginning of the month, Burnham visited Dover, the city located on the English side of the channel, and declared that he would conduct a "no-compromise fight" against the migrant boats. Burnham claimed that his new government is "changing the whole approach", and that it will increase the number of enforcement personnel fighting the smuggling organizations helping migrants to cross. "People want to see this issue dealt with," he said, but emphasized that legal immigration routes must be allowed: "We also need to build a system that will offer safe routes for people, because that also denies the gangs the main reason they are turned to."
Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right party Reform UK, promises for his part to take a much harder hand with the migrant boats, and in response to the arrival of the boat with 230 migrants, he wrote this morning in a post on X: "This is further proof that this illegal invasion is a national emergency."
This month, Farage revealed a plan that he calls "Operation Fortress" and in which the British Royal Navy will be sent to turn the boats back to the shores of France – a move that, if implemented, is expected to arouse a major protest from Paris and claims of violation of international law by human rights activists.
Last night, his party revealed another plan in which all foreign citizens will be deported from prisons in the UK, in order to free up space for British prisoners and prevent their early release following the severe distress that currently exists in the kingdom's prisons. The one leading the immigration policy of Reform UK, Zia Yusuf, declared that the migrants will be deported to their countries of origin – but if the countries refuse to do so, they will be deported to the notorious prisons of El Salvador, similar to the way the Trump administration in the US deported illegal migrants there for a fee.
"Incredibly, there are more than 10,000 foreign citizens in British prisons. We will deport all foreign citizens from our prisons. If their countries of origin do not agree to take them back, we will send them to serve their sentences in countries like El Salvador and Kosovo. We will use the space that will be freed up to ensure that serious criminals remain where they belong. Behind bars," said Yusuf.
