More migrants have arrived in the United Kingdom by boat in September than the whole of 2019, according to reports.
Tuesday’s landings of 393 illegal aliens on English shores made September hit a milestone in migrant arrivals that exceeded the whole of last year. So far in 2020, nearly 7,000 third world migrants have illegally crossed the English Channel from France into British territory on small boats. September 2nd saw the highest daily arrivals, with 416 illegals landing.
While reports vary as to whether last year saw 1,800 or 1,823 people arrive, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday that for September 2020 alone there had been at least 1,880, with days still to go before the end of the month. According to government figures, 2018 only saw a combined 297 interceptions in British waters and landings on English beaches.
The Conservative Party government of Boris Johnson has claimed that it is working with the French government to stop the economic migrants leaving France for the United Kingdom. However, the MP for Dover — a migrant landing hotspot — Natalie Elphicke criticised the French for failing to do more.
“The number of illegal entrants breaking into Britain is unacceptable. More action is needed to stop boats leaving French shores in the first place and turn them back to France.
“Safety at sea starts with stopping small boats leaving French shores in the first place. When boats do launch, they must be turned around at the earliest opportunity, closer to land. Only then will we see an end of the small boat crossings,” the Conservative MP said.
French authorities are reportedly blocking only around 20 per cent of boats that leave their shores, despite the British having paid France some £100 million in the past five years to stop the flow.
Mr Farage was the first to report that rather than intercepting and turning boats back, the French authorities were escorting migrant vessels into British territorial water and coordinating with British authorities for their handover.
Last week, Mr Farage watched a new phenomenon, where not only did the French navy shadow a small boat carrying 16 Afghans into British waters, but abandoned it, with no British authorities in sight. Concerned that the craft was overburdened and taking on water in worsening weather, Mr Farage maintained contact with it until a UK Border Force arrived some 40 minutes later.
So great are the numbers landing, that two former military bases have been allocated for housing the illegals, with the first of up to 431 arriving in Folkestone, Kent, this week. The second base in Wales is set to house to some 250.
The Home Office said that on Tuesday, 26 boats had entered British waters, with Mr Farage saying that his sources in Kent said it was much higher. Mr Farage told The Telegraph: “I am deeply suspicious of these numbers.”
He continued: “I have been out in the Channel, seen boats, asked the Home Office for a list of incidents, and that list bore no relation to what I saw. Yesterday, I was told that as many as 54 boats had crossed.”
The Home Office rejected Mr Farage’s claim that it was lying.
The numbers of landings are likely much higher than the government reports, however. Not only does the Home Office refuse to include the numbers of alleged child migrants landing, but an untold number of migrants arrive and disappear without coming into contact with the British authorities, clearly having no intention of claiming asylum.
Mr Farage reported for months testimonial of locals in Kent and East Sussex that many migrants arrive under cover of darkness and remain off of the Home Office’s official immigration books. The Home Office initially denied this, but the mainstream media finally reported earlier this month that it caught migrants landing on Kentish beaches and then “fleeing” to avoid being registered with authorities.