Migration Watch UK
June 16, 2022
With 233 people arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel on six boats yesterday (according to the Ministry of Defence), the total number of people who have arrived in boats since the start of 2018 has shot past the 50,000 mark.
Commenting, Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:
This is an ignominious milestone and a testament to the incompetence, laxity and weakness that has brought us to the present chaos. Cracking down with resolution early on would have stopped this mounting and deadly crisis. It is now incumbent on the government to follow through on its rhetoric and end this criminal and wicked trade. If it fails yet again, we could see a doubling of even this sobering number well before June 2023.
The totals by year so far are:
| Year | Reported arrivals by illegal boat crossing |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 299 |
| 2019 | 1843 |
| 2020 | 8466 |
| 2021 | 28526 |
| 2022 (as of 15 June) | 10948 |
| Total | 50082 |
You can see more detail by looking at our regularly-updated, ground-breaking and hugely popular Boat Tracking Station.