Over 1,800 boat migrants illegally crossed the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom in a single week, despite left-wing Labour government promises to tackle the issue. According to the Home Office, roughly equivalent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, between November 4 and 10 a total of 1,806 migrants were intercepted arriving on British coasts in 30 small boats.
On Saturday alone, 572 individuals were processed at the Port of Dover, followed by 209 on Sunday. These crossings contribute to a total nearing 33,000 for the year, marking a 22 percent rise compared to the same period last year.
The influx coincides with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer‘s claims his administration will tackle the Channel crisis by “smashing the gangs” who orchestrate it. During a recent media push, he proposed allocating $95.5 million to dismantle the smuggling networks operating in Britain and France.
Speaking at an Interpol assembly in Glasgow, Scotland, Starmer claimed his government will treat smugglers as terrorists and enhance intelligence sharing with nations such as Kosovo and Serbia.
Some political groups have criticized the government for not implementing more stringent measures, similar to Australia’s Operation Sovereign Borders against seaborne migrants. The Reform Party, led by Brexit leader Nigel Farage, advocates an Australian-style ‘turn back the boats’ policy.
Illegal migrants are often housed in hotels in Britain, with reports last year suggesting that migrants’ hotel rooms cost taxpayers as much as $10 million per day.
Overall, jobless migrants, both legal and illegal, cost the British public an astounding $11.1 billion per year. When other social costs are considered, losses could be as high as $26.6 billion a year.
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