A thousand migrants cross the English Channel in 24 hours, a record

A thousand migrants crossed the Channel yesterday on board boats to reach the United Kingdom, setting a new record for crossings in a single day. The BBC reports online.

    Five lifeboats and four border force ships escorted groups of migrants to Dover. The mild weather conditions that made it possible to face the English Channel without running particular risks also favored the crossing. A Whitehall source accused France of losing control of the situation. British officials say they want to stop the crossings, describing them as dangerous and unnecessary.

    A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said yesterday's number of crossings was "unacceptable". The previous record was 853 people in one day (November 3).

    "British citizens have had enough of seeing people die in the Channel as ruthless criminal gangs profit from their misery. Our new immigration plan will repair the broken system that encourages migrants to take this lethal journey," the spokesman said. .

    More than 23,000 people made the crossing from France to the UK on board boats this year, a steep increase from 8,404 in 2020 - and much more than in the years before the pandemic, when most asylum seekers arrived by plane. , ferry or train.