Almost 1,200 migrants crossed Channel da Mancha

British authorities detected, on Saturday, the arrival of 1,194 migrants crossing the spot canal in small vessels. The number has been a record since the beginning of the year.

Since January, 14,808 people have arrived in the United Kingdom in this way, an unprecedented number, despite the measures implemented by the French and British governments to lock the phenomenon.

The absolute record of crossings in one day was established in early September 2022, when 1,305 migrants arrived at the British beaches. That year arrived 45,774 immigrants to the United Kingdom.

After a fall in 2023, illegal crossings recorded a new increase in 2024, with the arrival of 36,800 migrants, and the trend for this year suggests a new record.

The Labor Government, led by Keir Strmer, like its conservative predecessors, promised to combat illegal immigration.

The British Parliament is analyzing a law on border control, which should, among other measures, give the police more powers to combat smuggling networks.

French maritime authorities said they rescued 184 people in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais, between Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

But there are photographs showing the French police to see migrants abandon the beach without intervening – in accordance with the sea law – and that caused a widespread reaction in the United Kingdom, especially in the conservative media.

Since the beginning of the year, at least 15 people have died on the Mancha channel, according to an AFP count, based on official numbers.

Last year, 78 migrants had died in these dangerous crossings of the Franco-British border, a record since this phenomenon began in the region in 2018.