LONDON: At least 28,300 people packed into small boats crossed the Channel from France to England’s south coast in 2021, an annual record that was three times the number of crossings a year earlier.
The leap in numbers, reported Tuesday by the Press Association news agency based on data from Britain’s Home Office, reflects the soaring number of migrants seeking to cross the world’s busiest shipping lane often in flimsy boats provided by people smugglers.
The risks were tragically underscored on Nov. 24, when at least 27 migrants drowned as their boat sank after leaving France. The crossings have become a source of tension between France and Britain.
As winter approached last year, November was the busiest month for crossings of the Channel, which is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point, with 6,869 people reaching the UK On Nov. 11 alone, 1,185 people made the risky crossing in 33 boats.
The figures also show that the boats are getting larger, with an average of 28 people on board each vessel that arrived in the UK, up from just over 13 a year earlier.
Activists are calling for the British government to offer more opportunities to asylum-seekers in a bid to decrease the number of Channel crossings.
Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive at Refugee Action, said that the UK government’s policy will lead to more deaths in the Dover Strait.
“People will continue to cross the Channel in flimsy boats, and smugglers will continue to profit, unless ministers open up more routes for refugees to claim asylum here,” Naor Hilton said.
Clare Moseley, founder of charity Care4Calais which supports refugees living in northern France, agreed.
“If the government were serious about stopping people smugglers, it would create a safe way for people to claim asylum and put people smugglers out of business once and for all,” she said.
But Home Office minister Tom Pursglove said that “seeking asylum for protection should not involve people asylum shopping country to country, or risking their lives by lining the pockets of criminal gangs to cross the Channel.”
He said that planned government reforms to immigration law will criminalize entering the UK without permission and introduce life prison terms for people smugglers as well as strengthening powers of the country’s Border Force to stop and redirect boats and clearing the way for asylum-seekers to have their claims processed outside the UK
When the reforms were introduced to Parliament in July, Naor Hilton said they were “built on a deep lack of understanding of the reality of refugee migration.”
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Record number of migrant boats crossed Channel in 2021
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Record number of migrant boats crossed Channel in 2021
- The risks were tragically underscored on Nov. 24, when at least 27 migrants drowned as their boat sank after leaving France
- The crossings have become a source of tension between France and Britain
Rubio plans to visit Israel next week as US-Iran tensions remain high after latest talks
TEL AVIV, Israel: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make a quick trip to Israel early next week, the State Department said, as tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after their latest nuclear talks and American forces gather in the region.
The US Embassy in Israel had earlier urged staff who want to leave to depart, joining other nations in encouraging people to leave the region and signaling that US military action might be imminent. The announcement of Rubio’s visit could indicate a longer timeline for any potential strike.
A confidential report from the UN nuclear watchdog meanwhile confirmed that Iran has not offered inspectors access to sensitive nuclear sites since they were heavily bombed during the 12-day war launched by Israel last June. As a result, it said it could not confirm Iran’s claims that it stopped uranium enrichment after the US and Israeli strikes.
The report was circulated to member countries and seen by The Associated Press.
US President Donald Trump has threatened military action if Iran does not agree to a far-reaching deal on its nuclear program. Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and denies seeking a nuclear weapon.
Those wishing to leave ‘should do so TODAY’
The State Department said in a statement that Rubio would visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to “discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza.” It offered no other details.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long urged tougher US action against Iran, and has warned that Israel will respond to any Iranian attack.
The announcement of Rubio’s visit came just hours after the US Embassy in Jerusalem implemented “authorized departure” status for non-essential personnel and family members, which means that eligible staffers can leave the country voluntarily at government expense.
In an email, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee urged staff considering departure to do so quickly, advising them to focus initially on getting any flight out of Israel and to then make their way to Washington.
“Those wishing to take AD should do so TODAY,” Huckabee wrote, using an acronym for “authorized departure.”
“While there may be outbound flights over the coming days, there may not be,” he added, in an email that was recounted to The Associated Press by someone involved with the US mission who wasn’t authorized to share details.
On a town hall meeting Friday after the email was sent, Huckabee told staff that he was encouraging airlines to keep flying.
Vance to meet with mediator
Iran and the United States on Thursday walked away from another round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva without a deal. Technical discussions are scheduled to take place in Vienna next week.
US Vice President JD Vance was to meet later on Friday in Washington with Oman’s foreign minister, Badr Al-Busaidi, who has been mediating the talks, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting is private.
Earlier, Al-Busaidi said that there had been significant progress made on Thursday, though officials from Iran and the United States haven’t announced steps forward.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday said “what needs to happen has been clearly spelled out from our side,” without offering specifics. Iran has long demanded relief from heavy international sanctions in return for taking steps to limit but not end its nuclear program.
The UN chief meanwhile urged Iran and the US “to focus on the diplomatic track” even as tensions rise and a potential for a US strike remains very possible.
“We’re seeing both positive messages coming out of the diplomatic tracts, which we’re continuing to encourage,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. “We’re also seeing very worrying military movements. throughout the region, which is extremely concerning as well.”
Flights suspended as people are urged to leave
The US has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the Middle East, with one aircraft carrier already in place and another heading to the region. Iran says it will respond to any US attack by targeting American forces in the region, potentially including those stationed in US bases in allied Arab countries.
Airlines such as Netherlands-based KLM have already announced plans to suspend flights out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, and other embassies have also made plans for authorized departures from Israel and neighboring countries.
Britain’s Foreign Office said that “due to the security situation, UK staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran.” It said the embassy was operating remotely.
In Israel, the UK said Friday it moved some diplomatic staff and their families from Tel Aviv to another, unspecified location in Israel “as a precautionary measure.” In an update to its travel advice, the Foreign Office added that the country’s embassy in Tel Aviv is operating as normal but that the situation “could escalate quickly and poses significant risks.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday the UK was focused on “supporting the political process” between Washington and Tehran.
Australia on Wednesday “directed the departure of all dependents of Australian officials posted to Israel in response to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.” China, India and several European countries with missions in Iran have advised citizens to avoid travel to the country.
China’s Foreign Ministry also advised its citizens already in Iran to leave, according to a statement reported by Chinese state media.
The US Embassy in Israel had earlier urged staff who want to leave to depart, joining other nations in encouraging people to leave the region and signaling that US military action might be imminent. The announcement of Rubio’s visit could indicate a longer timeline for any potential strike.
A confidential report from the UN nuclear watchdog meanwhile confirmed that Iran has not offered inspectors access to sensitive nuclear sites since they were heavily bombed during the 12-day war launched by Israel last June. As a result, it said it could not confirm Iran’s claims that it stopped uranium enrichment after the US and Israeli strikes.
The report was circulated to member countries and seen by The Associated Press.
US President Donald Trump has threatened military action if Iran does not agree to a far-reaching deal on its nuclear program. Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and denies seeking a nuclear weapon.
Those wishing to leave ‘should do so TODAY’
The State Department said in a statement that Rubio would visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to “discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza.” It offered no other details.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long urged tougher US action against Iran, and has warned that Israel will respond to any Iranian attack.
The announcement of Rubio’s visit came just hours after the US Embassy in Jerusalem implemented “authorized departure” status for non-essential personnel and family members, which means that eligible staffers can leave the country voluntarily at government expense.
In an email, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee urged staff considering departure to do so quickly, advising them to focus initially on getting any flight out of Israel and to then make their way to Washington.
“Those wishing to take AD should do so TODAY,” Huckabee wrote, using an acronym for “authorized departure.”
“While there may be outbound flights over the coming days, there may not be,” he added, in an email that was recounted to The Associated Press by someone involved with the US mission who wasn’t authorized to share details.
On a town hall meeting Friday after the email was sent, Huckabee told staff that he was encouraging airlines to keep flying.
Vance to meet with mediator
Iran and the United States on Thursday walked away from another round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva without a deal. Technical discussions are scheduled to take place in Vienna next week.
US Vice President JD Vance was to meet later on Friday in Washington with Oman’s foreign minister, Badr Al-Busaidi, who has been mediating the talks, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting is private.
Earlier, Al-Busaidi said that there had been significant progress made on Thursday, though officials from Iran and the United States haven’t announced steps forward.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday said “what needs to happen has been clearly spelled out from our side,” without offering specifics. Iran has long demanded relief from heavy international sanctions in return for taking steps to limit but not end its nuclear program.
The UN chief meanwhile urged Iran and the US “to focus on the diplomatic track” even as tensions rise and a potential for a US strike remains very possible.
“We’re seeing both positive messages coming out of the diplomatic tracts, which we’re continuing to encourage,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. “We’re also seeing very worrying military movements. throughout the region, which is extremely concerning as well.”
Flights suspended as people are urged to leave
The US has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the Middle East, with one aircraft carrier already in place and another heading to the region. Iran says it will respond to any US attack by targeting American forces in the region, potentially including those stationed in US bases in allied Arab countries.
Airlines such as Netherlands-based KLM have already announced plans to suspend flights out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, and other embassies have also made plans for authorized departures from Israel and neighboring countries.
Britain’s Foreign Office said that “due to the security situation, UK staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran.” It said the embassy was operating remotely.
In Israel, the UK said Friday it moved some diplomatic staff and their families from Tel Aviv to another, unspecified location in Israel “as a precautionary measure.” In an update to its travel advice, the Foreign Office added that the country’s embassy in Tel Aviv is operating as normal but that the situation “could escalate quickly and poses significant risks.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday the UK was focused on “supporting the political process” between Washington and Tehran.
Australia on Wednesday “directed the departure of all dependents of Australian officials posted to Israel in response to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.” China, India and several European countries with missions in Iran have advised citizens to avoid travel to the country.
China’s Foreign Ministry also advised its citizens already in Iran to leave, according to a statement reported by Chinese state media.
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