Nearly 700 migrants crossed the English Channel from France to Britain over the past two days, taking advantage of the favorable weather and sea conditions to make the journey into the country.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, official figures showed that 681 migrants crossed the channel on Friday and Saturday aboard 10 boats, marking the first dinghy arrivals in 13 days. Migrants were reportedly seen smiling and holding peace signs as they boarded inflatable dinghies in Dunkirk, France, before embarking across the channel. Photos showed older children struggling through the water after being unable to board the boats.
French police reportedly stood and watched nearby with riot shields as dozens went through the water to get on the inflatable boats.
Along the Kent coast in England, a Border Security Command vessel was seen escorting people in life jackets as they arrived. Roughly 400 crossed the channel on Friday, and 287 on Saturday.
The total yearly total has reached 8,257, which is more than 5,000 fewer than the same period in 2025. The UK recently revealed that net migration dropped by an estimated 171,000 last year, the lowest since the beginning of the pandemic.
Back in April, Secretary of the Home Department Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year agreement to pay France £662 million to help beach patrols in an effort to reduce the number of arrivals. The home office said that this deal sees officers “targeting and detaining” migrants on the French coast with the intent of removing hundreds of people from the beaches annually.
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party in the UK, said that “a lot” of these boats "should not be here."
“They are not refugees,” she explained. “They are people who see our country as a soft touch, and they exploit our kindness.”
