Around 500 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK today | UK News

Around 500 people crossed from France to England across the Channel today, Sky sources say.

Groups of people wearing life jackets and some wrapped in blankets were pictured being brought to Dover, Kent, on a Border Force boat.

A record 45,728 made the crossing on small boats last year, up more than 60% from the previous year.

Government figures show 592 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, but activity was only recorded on three days in January.

Some 1,339 made the trip in the first month of 2022.

It comes as MPs heard flights sending migrants to Rwanda may not take place until the end of the year at the earliest in an ongoing legal action.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said the government still hoped to resume flights “as soon as possible”, but said it was “fair” to wait for the end of legal appeals.

Asked when the government hopes to resume flights to Rwanda, Mr Jenrick told MPs: “As soon as possible. This obviously remains government policy. We see this as an absolutely essential way of deterring people from doing the dangerous crossing and change the business model of smugglers.”

Migrants arrived in Dover, Kent
Migrants boarded a coach at the Kent Immigration Processing Center

High Court judges ruled the policy legal last month, but so far efforts to launch it have been bogged down by legal proceedings.

Mr Jenrick said an appeal ‘will be heard later this year’ and added: ‘We look forward to again defending the government’s position as vigorously as possible and hope and hope we have a similar outcome in court. call.”

Asked to confirm whether the government was awaiting the outcome of the appeal before flights resumed, he replied: “Yes. It is true that we are awaiting the outcome of the UK courts… so obviously the government will decide how to proceed once we have the final judgement.”

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