Migrant latest: More than 600 people cross English Channel as total for year exceeds 32K
Figures from the Ministry of Defence have confirmed 656 people made the dangerous crossing on Friday (September 23).
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Over 600 people arrived in small boats across the English Channel on Friday, bringing the total to more than 32,000 so far this year. Another 656 people crossed the English Channel in small boats yesterday, according to Government figures.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed 15 boats were also intercepted on the same day. It is the 12th time the daily toll has reached more than 600 people and brings the yearly total up to 32,321. The annual total hit more than 30,000 earlier this week, beating the 28,561 crossings recorded last year.
More than 1,000 people crossed the English Channel in small boats the day after the total for the year exceeded 30,000, Government figures show.
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A Government spokesperson said: "The continued rise of dangerous Channel crossings is a clear abuse of our immigration laws, risking the lives of vulnerable people and funding immoral criminal gangs.
"Despite the lies they have been sold by the people smugglers, migrants who travel through safe countries to illegally enter the UK will not be allowed to start a new life here. Anyone who crosses in genuine need of asylum will be in scope to be relocated to Rwanda under our Migration and Economic Development Partnership.
"Our Nationality and Borders Act is breaking these criminals’ business models, with 157 people already arrested since it became law. We remain committed to removing those who flout our laws."
Special tents have been erected in Dover to keep the migrants sheltered while they are processed. New arrivals appear to have overflowed from existing facilities.
It is more than five months since then-Home Secretary Priti Patel announced plans to send migrants to Rwanda to try to deter people from making the crossing. Since then, 26,397 people have arrived in the UK after completing the perilous journey.
Ms Patel signed what she described as a "world-first" agreement with Rwanda on April 14.
Under the deal, the east African country would receive migrants deemed by the UK to have arrived "illegally" and therefore inadmissible under new immigration rules.
However, the first deportation flight, which was due to take off on June 14, was grounded amid legal challenges.
Several asylum seekers, the Public and Commercial Services Union and charities Care4Calais, Detention Action and Asylum Aid, are currently embroiled in court cases with the Home Office as they challenge the policy's legality.
Martin Daubney, Deputy Leader of the Reclaim Party, said: "This Government has completely lost control of illegal immigration. They talk tough, but they're being led by 'refugees welcome' activists, lawyers and opposition politicians who are utterly out of touch with the electorate. Every vote since 2010 has been to take back control of our borders. Time and again we've been failed.
"The RNLI is no more than an onshore taxi service. Border Force is border farce. The people smugglers are laughing all the way to the bank.... The time for Suella Braverman to talk tough is over. We need to see concrete action or this Tory Government will be toast."
French authorities on Friday they had launched a rescue operation after a boat got into difficulty in the Channel.
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Sixty-five people had to be rescued from a drifting boat, according to the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and North Sea.
They were disembarked at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer where they were taken care of by French Border Police and the emergency services.
Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and North Sea issued a warning of the risks involved to anyone planning to cross the waterway.
It read: "This maritime sector is one of the busiest areas in the world, with more than 400 merchant ships passing through it per day and the weather conditions are often difficult... it is therefore a particularly dangerous sector, especially at a time when the water temperature will decrease."
News of the latest crossing numbers comes after Prime Minister Liz Truss met French President Emmanuel Macron.
Ms Truss did not discuss unauthorised migrant crossings of the Channel during her meeting.
Downing Street said the PM had a "constructive" conversation lasting around half-an-hour, but it focused on energy security.
The pair held their first bilateral meeting at the fringes of the United Nations summit in New York.
Ahead of her meeting with Mr Macron, Ms Truss stressed tackling migrant crossings in small boats was one of the issues Britain and France must work together on.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the stalled Rwanda policy is the "long term solution" to crossings after confirming Ms Truss and Mr Macron did not discuss the issue.