Since the beginning of 2025, a record number of migrants — 8,064 — have arrived in the UK via the English Channel, according to data from the country’s Home Office, as reported by Bloomberg.
On Saturday alone, April 12, 656 people made the crossing. This brings the total for the first four months of the year above the previous record of 7,567 for the same period in 2024. For comparison, 5,946 migrants crossed between January and April in 2023, and 6,691 during that time in 2022.
A spokesperson for the UK Home Office stated that authorities are committed to ending these dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine border security.
Earlier this year, on the night of March 20, one person died in the Channel after a migrant boat capsized. In response, the government is considering legislation to criminalize actions that create danger to life at sea, as part of broader efforts to combat illegal migration.
