Of the 45,755 migrants who crossed the Channel in small boats last year, 215 have been deported.
More than 25,000 of them were found to be refugees, although the Government claims the majority of those crossing in small boats are economic migrants.
These figures, based on data from the Ministry of Home Affairs, also show that one in five channel migrants is a child.
Last year a record number arrived at Dover – 1,104 boats with an average of 41 people each day.
Data obtained by The Sun through a Disclosure of Information request shows only 0.47 percent of the total migrant arrivals have been deported, including seven who were found to be criminals.
Of the 45,755 migrants who crossed the Channel in small boats last year, 215 have been deported
About forty people thought to be migrants board a boat before they try to cross the Channel to England, near the town of Gravelines in northern France on July 11, 2022
And Conservative MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke said the deportation rate was so low it was no longer a barrier for those traveling to Britain in small boats.
He also urged the Home Secretary to “understand” the processing of arriving migrants, by stopping boats leaving France so they cannot reach the UK.
Priti Patel, as home secretary in 2021, claims that ‘70% of people in small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants’.
But the Ministry of Home Affairs has now admitted, via a Freedom of Information request, that there is no evidence to support the claim. That statement has not been corrected.
Asylum figures took longer to process, while a Refugee Council report based on the same figures found most of those arriving by small boats were people fleeing war-torn or oppressive countries where there were no safe routes. and formalities such as refugee visas to apply for asylum. claims in England.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said an increase in dangerous and ‘illegal’ travel to the UK was putting ‘greater stress on the asylum system, slowing down the processing of individual cases who could face deportation or transfer’.
However, the UK has an international legal obligation not to criminally punish anyone seeking refuge as a refugee.
Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council said: ‘The majority of men, women and children who cross the Channel do so because they desperately want to escape war, conflict and persecution.
‘They really need help and support – and have no other choice.
‘The government has promised to look at safer routes, but at the same time has proposed inhumane laws to detain anyone crossing the Channel in small boats, removing the right to seek asylum.
‘This will get tens of thousands of people locked up and treated like criminals. This is unfair and highlights again the lack of a clear process in the UK for most people seeking asylum.’
Source: | This article originally belonged to Dailymail.co.uk
