Dozens of people in two migrant boats arrived on England's southern coast on Saturday, joining thousands of asylum-seekers who had made the perilous sea trip from France this year.
UK Faces Surge in Migrant Boats Arrivals Ahead of Elections
Swaying on the turbulent waters of the English Channel on a clear morning, the boats sailed over the thin strip of sea dividing France and Britain, followed by a French Navy warship until they reached English seas.
Their mostly male passengers, some of whom were wearing orange life jackets and waving, were transferred to a British Border Force vessel off Dover.
The arrivals highlight the difficulty British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces in fulfilling his commitment to combat illegal migration and "stop the boats" before of a national election later this year.
More than 8,000 individuals have landed on small boats this year, many fleeing conflict or poverty and sailing through Europe to Britain, setting a record for such landings.
Sunak Aims to Implement Rwanda Deportation Policy to Curb Channel Crossings
Sunak hopes that his hallmark Rwanda policy, which deports those who enter Britain without permission to the African country, will dissuade people from crossing the Channel. Five people were killed in the attempt last month.
Sunak, who has made the project one of his core policies, hopes that the first flights would depart within the next 10 to 12 weeks. He claims the idea will devastate the business model of people smugglers, who have transported tens of thousands of refugees across the Channel in small boats.
"The unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the Channel demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible," said a Home Office official.
We continue to work closely with French police who are facing increasing violence and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys."