13,016 migrants have crossed Channel since UK announced Rwanda plan

London, Aug 9

At least 13,016 migrants have crossed the English Channel since UK Home Secretary Priti Patel announced her plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. According to the Ministry of Defence, 176 people made the crossing on five small boats on Sunday, which increased the total to 13,016 since April 14, reports dpa news agency.

It brings the total number of people who have crossed the English Channel so far this year to 18,284.

Photographs taken on Monday showed another group of migrants, clad in life jackets and face masks, being brought into Dover by Border Force officials.

A number of children and babies wrapped in light blue blankets, apparently distributed by the authorities, were among those being moved from the vessel to a waiting bus.

Analysis by the PA news agency of the Ministry of Defence's provisional figures shows 1,885 people have been brought to the UK so far in August.

That is more than half of the 3,053 people rescued in August 2021.

In April, the Home Secretary hailed the Rwanda deal as a "world class" plan that provided a "blueprint" for other countries to follow.

"The UK asylum system is collapsing under a combination of real humanitarian crises and evil people smugglers profiteering by exploiting the system for their own gains," Patel had said.

"This has devastating consequences for the countless men, women and children who have tragically lost their lives or loved ones on perilous journeys.

"A global leadership is required to find new innovative solutions to this growing problem," she added.

The week in which the deal was announced proved the busiest of the year for migrant crossings, when 2,076 made the journey across the Channel.

--IANS