It is thought to have been the first time there have been Channel crossings in 11 days.
Image source, Getty Images
The Border Force has intercepted several groups of migrants in the English Channel.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) would not reveal the numbers involved until Monday, but people who count arrivals in Dover have told the BBC they believe it was more than 200.
The MoD said the government is addressing the issue by “cracking down on people smugglers”.
It is believed to be the first time there have been crossings in 11 days.
Some commentators have suggested the prospect of asylum seekers getting sent to Rwanda was already acting as a deterrent – but the weather has been windy in the Channel for the past 11 days which is likely to have had a greater effect.
A spokesperson for the MoD said: “The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable.
“Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes.”
Last month the prime minister announced the MoD had now taken command of the operational response to small boats crossings in the Channel.
The government also announced plans to give some asylum seekers, who cross the Channel to the UK, a one-way ticket to Rwanda.
But the scheme was criticised as cruel by opposition parties, charities and the Church of England.
- 14 April
