Migrant crossings continue for seventh consecutive day
More than 1,000 people arrived in the UK between Friday and Wednesday, with Thursday’s numbers yet to be published.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Young children have been carried to safety by members of the armed forces as migrant crossings continued for the seventh consecutive day.
More than 1,000 people arrived in the UK between Friday and Wednesday, with Thursday’s numbers yet to be published.
This is the joint second longest successive run of crossings in 2022 so far, with a nine-day stretch recorded between April 11 and April 19 resulting in 2,143 people arriving in that period.
There was another seven-day stretch between June 12 and June 18 when 1,623 people made the crossing.
Several girls were among the latest groups of people pictured being brought ashore in Dover, Kent, amid warm weather and calm seas.
Some 14,157 migrants have made the crossing in 2022 so far after navigating busy shipping lanes from France in small boats such as dinghies, provisional Government figures show.
On Monday, 442 crossed in a single day, making this the fifth time this year the daily total has topped 400.
The crossings come as Irish premier Micheal Martin warned the UK Government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda may have resulted in an increase in international protection applicants in the Republic.
The Taoiseach described the policy as a “shocking” initiative which was “wrong”.
The Government has reportedly put fresh attempts to get the first deportation flight to the East African nation off the ground on hold until after the Conservative Party has elected a new prime minister over fears it could generate too much controversy during the leadership contest. The plane was grounded in June amid legal challenges.
Earlier this week armed forces minister James Heappey faced accusations the Navy had become a “tour guide for illegal migrants” since the Ministry of Defence took charge of tackling crossings in the Channel in April.
While being questioned by MPs, Mr Heappey admitted the Government had abandoned proposals to use pushbacks to turn away migrants at sea in light of conclusions from Navy experts after trials of the tactic by Royal Marines.
Meanwhile prisons watchdog Charlie Taylor raised concerns about “haphazard” Home Office arrangements in place for migrants and told how people were arriving ashore soaking wet and with petrol burns.
Mr Taylor, who inspects the conditions in which migrants are held when they arrive in the UK, added that people were “crammed into facilities where some basic safeguards were not in place” as he highlighted the case of a man who had been convicted of a serious offence spending the night in a facility where there were children and families.
The Home Office said it removed 23 foreign criminals from the country, via a flight to Albania on Thursday.