50,271. This is the number of immigrants who have arrived illegally to the UK on the Channel of Mancha since the labor minister, Keir Stmerer, took office on July 5, 2024. The data were released on Tuesday (12) by the British Interior Ministry.
According to the latest update on the arrival of illegal immigrants in small vessels, only on Monday (11) 474 people landed in the UK in eight boats-the largest number recorded this August. In the accumulated 2025, there are already 26,555 entries by the sea route, surpassing the total of the same period of 2024, which did not reach 20 thousand.
The landmark of 50,000 migrants was reached only seven days after a deal signed between British and French governments for the return of illegal immigrants to the territory of France, in exchange for the receipt, by London, of French asylum applicants who have family ties in the United Kingdom and have not tried to cross the channel before. The pact was announced in July by French President Emmanuel Macron and Stmerer.
In an interview with the British network BBCthe Secretary of State for Women and Equality of the United Kingdom, Jacqui Smith, dismissed the new government’s responsibility for increasing crossings. She stated that the previous conservative government “allowed this atrocious and criminal activity” and stressed that current management adopts “consistent and with resources” measures to contain the crisis. Still, he acknowledged that the scenario is serious: “This is an extremely serious problem and it is our responsibility to take steps to reduce these numbers. We understand how worrying this is for people.”
