Migration chaos as 1,500 asylum seekers cross Channel on small boats since Thursday

More than 1,500 migrants have crossed the English Channel since Thursday after a fortnight of bad weather saw a pause in the number of illegal journeys. Over 230 asylum seekers attempted the dangerous crossing on Saturday, November 8, alone, and were transported by UK Border Force to an immigration processing facility at Dover, according to GB News. Two weeks of rough seas had previously ushered in a rare period of quiet between the English and French coasts, with no recorded incidents since October 22.

Calmer weather towards the tail-end of this week saw renewed activity, however, with 621 people reportedly landing in Dover in dinghies on Thursday, a figure that had risen to 1,269 by Friday evening.

A senior maritime source said: "It was odd to see ministers suggesting the absence of migrant activity in the Channel over the past two weeks suggested Government policy was having an impact. We see it repeated time and time again. When the winds blow and the waves pick up, we get few if any crossings. When conditions calm down, they surge across in large numbers."

"Efforts to dismantle the smuggling gangs might well have some impact in the longer term, but for the moment, the numbers are only heading in one direction," they added.

The French coastguard rescued 94 people who were thrown into the water when their small boat broke apart four nautical miles of the coast on Thursday, with three of those rescued diagnosed with hypothermia, according to the maritime prefecture.

The latest slew of arrivals has brought the total number of people who have made the crossings this year to 38,450.

Small boat crossings made up 4% of overall immigration to the UK last year, but counted for over 80% of unauthorised arrivals.

Labour has insisted that its agreement with French President Emmanual Macron of a "one in, one out" return scheme is acting as a deterrent to migrants, despite criticism surrounding the return of a man to UK shores after being removed to France under the deal.

The Iranian man was deported for the second time on October 18, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood claiming the speed of his identification and removal as proof that "the system is working".

"My message is clear: if you try to return to the UK, you will be sent back," she said. "I will do whatever it takes to scale up removals of illegal migrants and secure our borders."

The UK-France agreement, which came into force in August, means people who arrive on small boats in the UK can be detained and sent to France in exchange for an equivalent number of people who apply through a safe and legal route.

94 migrants have so far been returned to France, and 57 arrived in the UK, as part of the scheme, according to the Home Office.