Nearly double the number of people have travelled across the English Channel in 2021 compared to last year’s figures.
More than 16,400 people had made the dangerous journey so far this year in small boats by Friday, according to official Home Office data.
Last year’s total was more than 8,400 – meaning this year’s figure to date is closing in on doubling the 2020 total.
Last month, a 27-year-old man from Eritrea died after he and four others jumped overboard as their boat started to sink.
Dan O’Mahoney, clandestine channel threat commander, said: “The Government is determined to tackle the unacceptable rise in dangerous Channel crossings using every tool at our disposal, at every stage in the journey.
“But this is a complicated issue requiring changes to our laws. The Government’s New Plan for Immigration provides the only long term solution to fix the broken system and deliver the change required to tackle criminal gangs and prevent further loss of life.”
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