500 Migrants Successfully Cross Channel To UK

Around 500 people crossed from France to England across the Channel today, Sky sources say.

Groups of people wearing life jackets and some wrapped in blankets were pictured being brought to Dover, Kent, on a Border Force boat.

A record 45,728 made the crossing on small boats last year, up more than 60% from the previous year.

Government figures show 592 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, but activity was only recorded on three days in January.

Some 1,339 made the trip in the first month of 2022.

It comes as MPs heard flights sending migrants to Rwanda may not take place until the end of the year at the earliest in an ongoing legal action.

Government Hopes

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said the government still hoped to resume flights “as soon as possible”, but said it was “fair” to wait for the end of legal appeals.

Asked when the government hopes to resume flights to Rwanda, Mr Jenrick told MPs: “As soon as possible. This obviously remains government policy. We see this as an absolutely essential way of deterring people from making the dangerous crossing and changing the business model of smugglers. »

High Court judges ruled the policy legal last month, but so far efforts to launch it have been bogged down by legal proceedings.

Mr Jenrick said an appeal ‘will be heard later this year’ and added: ‘We look forward to defending the government’s position again as vigorously as possible and hope and hope we have a similar outcome in court. call. .”

Asked to confirm whether the government was waiting for the appeal to be concluded before flights resume, he replied: “Yes. It is true that we are awaiting the outcome of the UK courts…so obviously the government will decide how to proceed. once we have the final judgment.”

This article is originally published on news-24.fr