At least nineteen suspected terrorists have infiltrated the United Kingdom by crossing the English Channel in people-smuggler small boats and claiming asylum, a report has claimed.

Terrorists connected to jihadi organisations like the so-called Islamic State have used the Channel migrant crisis to clandestinely enter the UK, according to security sources cited by the Daily Mail.

It is understood by the paper that seven of the 19 terror suspects are currently under “active investigation” in other countries before arriving illegally by boat in Britain. Since entering the country, some of 19 — the majority of whom are believed to be living in hotels across the country at taxpayer expense —  have been or are currently being survield by various UK security services, including MI5, GCHQ, and counter-terrorism police.

But, despite them having no legal right to remain in the country after breaking in via a small boat, authorites are reportedly reticent to use the security service intel on the individuals in a deportation action as it might allegedly reveal the sources and methods of intelligence gathering.

Matters are further complicated by the matter that British judges often side with terrorists in removal hearings on the grounds that they might suffer ill treatment from the governments in power in their homelands. According to the report, five of the supected terrorists are from Iraq, five from Iran, four from the now-Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, four hail from Somalia, while one is believed to be from Libya. At least five of the 19 are believed to be tied with the Islamic State (Isis), while others have been linked to Iranian terrorist cells.

Commenting on the report Dr Alan Mendoza, of counter-terror think-tank the Henry Jackson Society, said: “This is extremely concerning. We already have enough problems with home-grown terrorist threats, without having to import others to join them.

‘It is quite horrific, and adds weight to the Government’s contention that there is a real risk posed by Channel migration.’

The fact that the vast majority of the migrants who enter the country are young, military age fighting males was raised as a key issue why the ISU union that represents Britain’s Border Force warned in October of last year that the Channel crisis represents a  “significant risk” to the country’s national security and to the safety of UK communities.

This came on top of a previous report from the government’s independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, which found in July of last year that the poor screening methods of illegal boat migrants by the Border Force and other immigration officials posed a risk to national security.

The report stated that the inspection of boat migrants was so “inexcusably awful” that border officials were failing to complete even the most basic of steps, such as recording the names and fingerprints of the illegal migrants. Officials have even acknowledged that such failures facilitated migrants absconding into the country at large from their taxpayer-funded hotel accommodation.

Following the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, the UK government of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Breitbart London that it was aware of how many Afghans it airlifted to Britain were on terror watch lists or had previously been deported from the country. However, the Home Office refused to divulge the number of potential terrorists it brought into the country on no-fly or no-entry lists, as they claimed that it was not in the “public interest” to inform them how many potential terrorists were in their midst.

Commenting on the latest reporting, a Home Office spokesman said: “Our highest priority is protecting the safety and security of this country, which is why the UK has world-class police, security and intelligence agencies and a robust counter-terrorism framework.

“If an individual of national security interest entered the UK as an illegal migrant, we would take the firmest possible steps, which could include removal, action by law enforcement or other appropriate measures.”

“As the Prime Minister has said, this Government is focused on stopping small boats, and the Illegal Migration Bill will enable us to take back control of our borders and ensure we have an asylum system that is fair, safe and legal.”

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