Migration Watch UK
August 10, 2023
Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch UK said:
100,000 is a landmark. Criminals are making fools of us. Billions are being spent on accommodation and our asylum system is overwhelmed. It seems the weather is better able to defend our borders than the Border Force.
It is time to change our laws so that the British government has the final word on who can enter and who can stay in the UK.
Marking this milestone, Migration Watch UK has developed a new interactive map detailing the nationalities and demographics of those who have crossed the Channel. This will be updated in future alongside government statistical releases.
In addition, the Migration Watch UK Channel Tracker updates automatically every day providing crucial context to events in the Channel.
From 2018 to 9 August 2023, 99,960 people have now entered the UK by small boat crossing the Channel. Of these, 15,071 have come in 2023 and 50,526 since the 1st flight to Rwanda was scheduled to take off in 2022.
According to reports, dozens of migrants were brought to shore in the morning of 10th August, making it highly likely that the 100,000 threshold has been breached.
In 2023 up to the end of July, Afghans (2,891) made up the largest contingent of migrants crossing the Channel, followed by Iranians (1,609) and Turks (1,486).
From 2018-2022, the UK contributed £220.8 million to the French to enhance French border security around Calais. Read more here.
Since Migration Watch UK launched its campaign to cut immigration and stop asylum abuse in May 2023, our petition has gained 53,000 signatures from members of the public.