91 Middle Eastern Migrants Intercepted in English Channel in One Day

migrants
Christopher Furlong/Getty
Victoria Friedman

British and French border authorities have taken ashore 91 Middle Eastern migrants in eight boats in the English Channel in just one day, with the vast majority of those taken into custody by the British being men.

Four boats managed to get as far as the Kent coast in the south-east of England on Monday before being intercepted by UK Border Force, while the other four were stopped by the French in the narrow, busy stretch of water between Great Britain and Europe.

The Home Office confirmed that the first boat was carrying 13 men and two women, and the three other vessels were carrying 30 men and two women. All migrants claim to be from Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, and Iran.

According to the BBC, all those intercepted in British territorial waters were taken to Dover, Kent, and transferred to immigration officials. The Home Office also confirms that all those detained are being observed for signs of the Chinese coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the UK’s French counterparts stopped four more migrant boats with a total of 44 migrants on board, all of whom are suspected of seeking to illegally travel to the UK.

Local news outlet KentOnline reported that the latest illegal boat crossings follow on from Sunday when UK Border Force caught three boats with 35 migrants on board, all of whom are said to be from Kuwait, Iran, and Iraq.

On Friday, the UK caught five boats carrying a total of 76 people, again with the majority – 55 – being men and all of which claim to be from Yemen, Kuwait, Iran, and Iraq. All were transferred to immigration authorities.

The 47 successful illegal entries and 44 attempted came as Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage criticised the mainstream media for ignoring the Channel migration epidemic amidst the coronavirus crisis.

Monday’s landings take the total number of aliens to have illegally entered the UK since the lockdown to 568.

Mr Farage has repeatedly condemned the British government for locking down its people whilst leaving borders wide open. While the government has finally made a compromise of pledging to order the self-quarantine all airport arrivals for a fortnight after entry, the Brexit Party leader wrote on Monday that while “the establishment talks tough about the lockdown”, it “stays silent on illegal immigration”.

“The message from Boris Johnson’s government to those currently sheltering in Europe but determined to find their way here is loud and clear: illegal immigration into the UK is now easily worth the price demanded by the people-smuggling gangs,” Mr Farage said, and criticised the British media for failing to ask home secretary Priti Patel about the rise in numbers of illegals entering the country by boat from migrant camps with confirmed cases of coronavirus.

He warned that unless Ms Patel acts, “thousands more will arrive across the Channel as this health crisis continues over the summer”.

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