In 202128,526 crossings had been recordedwhich was already a record.
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Never had so many exiles made the dangerous crossing. The number of migrants who crossed the Channel in makeshift boats to reach the United Kingdom exceeded the 40,000 mark in 2022, a record, announced the British Ministry of Defense on Sunday, November 13. According to government data, 972 people crossed the Channel in 22 small craft on Saturday, bringing the total to 40,885 since January 1. The previous year, 28,526 crossings had been counted, which was already a record.
These ever-increasing numbers are putting pressure on the British government. The Conservatives have made tackling immigration one of their top priorities since Brexit, and the asylum system is more overwhelmed than ever.
Successive Tory governments have considered everything, dropping some highly controversial, illegal or unworkable ideas, such as pushing boats out of British waters with artificial waves, locking migrants on ocean liners offshore or sending them to remote islands.
Recent revelations about overcrowded reception centers have caused controversy in the United Kingdom, where the population remains largely in favor of welcoming exiles. Home Secretary Suella Braverman, far to the right, also shocked by calling“invasion” the influx of migrants arriving in the United Kingdom, comments judged “horrible” by the UN.
The subject is a point of tension between London and Paris, even if the two countries have announced “some progress” to find a new agreement on the issue, Friday in a joint press release.