PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Over 1,000 illegal immigrants crossed the English Channel in a single day, highlighting escalating issues with illegal crossings from the European Union (EU) into the United Kingdom.
👥 Who’s Involved: Illegal immigrants, people smugglers, British taxpayers, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the French government.
📍 Where & When: The English Channel; crossings peaked on Saturday, May 31, with 1,194 arrivals.
💬 Key Quote: Centre for Migration and Economic Prosperity (CMEP) Director Steven Woolfe said, “Today, people smugglers are laughing in the face of the British people.”
⚠️ Impact: British taxpayers have spent £732 million (~$991.4 million) on Channel migrants this year, with people smugglers profiting £96 million (~$130 million) since January.
IN FULL:
Close to 1,200 illegal immigrants crossed the English Channel in a single day over the weekend, sparking criticism of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s handling of border security. Figures from the Centre for Migration and Economic Prosperity (CMEP) reveal the crossings have cost British taxpayers £732 million so far this year, with people smugglers profiting £96 million since January.
Saturday’s surge saw 1,194 illegal immigrants arrive on British shores, bringing the total for 2023 to 14,652. CMEP data shows that since 2018, taxpayers have spent over £8 billion (~$10.8 billion) on the 165,427 illegal immigrants known to have crossed the Channel. Meanwhile, smugglers have amassed more than £1 billion (~$1.34 billion) in profits since 2018.
The crossings come as France’s efforts to prevent boats from leaving its shores appear to be declining. French authorities intercepted just 38 percent of small boats this year, down from 45 percent in 2022 and 46.9 percent in 2021, despite Britain having paid £800 million to France since 2015 to address the issue.
Images from the northern French coast show illegal aliens wading into shallow waters to board small boats, often launched from rivers farther inland. Defence Secretary John Healey attributed the record crossings to French police failing to intervene in these areas, admitting, “Britain lost control of its borders five or six years ago.”
CMEP Director Steven Woolfe criticized the ongoing crisis, saying, “Today, people smugglers are laughing in the face of the British people. Whilst they make [a billion pounds], the British are paying £8 billion a year to house, feed, and look after their clients.”
Projections suggest 2025 could see record Channel crossings, with estimates of up to 52,263 boat migrants, potentially costing Britain nearly £3 billion in the first year alone.
