Today: 11 July 2025
11 August 2023
2 mins read

Afghans largest cohort as English Channel migrants cross 100k mark

Up to the end of July 2023, there had been 15,072 recorded crossings, down around 15 percent from the same point in 2022, when the yearly total ended up at 45,755…reports Asian Lite News

The number of migrants to have crossed the English Channel into the UK by small boat since 2018 reached 100,000 people this week, driven in part by refugees fleeing from Afghanistan and the Middle East.

At least nine boats were intercepted by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution on Thursday, carrying an estimated 400 people.

On Wednesday, Home Office figures put the total number of people to have made the journey at 99,960.

Around 8,600 of them are Afghans, with numbers from the Central Asian country increasing significantly following the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces in August 2021 and the subsequent takeover of the government by the Taliban. So far, 898 Afghans are known to have made the trip in 2023.

The largest group of migrants across the period are Albanians, with at least 12,300 people coming to the UK between 2018 and 2022, followed by Afghans, Iranians (at least 5,600), Iraqis (4,400) and Syrians (2,900).

The number of crossings has increased steadily up to the start of 2023, with greater demand to reach the UK creating more opportunities for people-traffickers to profit.

Crossings from France become more frequent during the late summer months as weather conditions turn more favorable.

Up to the end of July 2023, there had been 15,072 recorded crossings, down around 15 percent from the same point in 2022, when the yearly total ended up at 45,755.

However, August 2022 saw an uptick in crossings with 8,641 people detected across the month alone. The period from the start of August to the end of October witnessed 51 percent of the year’s total number of crossings, with a similar surge expected this year.

The UK Border Force warned that Friday could be a “red day” — a term to denote an increased number of people traveling — due to expected good weather and fewer French police and border force officials on duty on the other side of the Channel as a result of annual leave.

French authorities are expected to temporarily lose as much as 20 percent of their personnel in the north of the country over the coming weeks, with other officers deployed to the south of the country to handle increased numbers of tourists and holiday-makers.

ALSO READ-Foreigners including Americans held in Afghan prisons

Previous Story

‘Taliban’s treatment of women is crime against humanity’

Next Story

King Charles III’s special Coronation coins enter circulation

Latest from -Top News

Masdar powers ahead in UK

€15 billion clean energy alliance powers ahead with East Anglia THREE investment and Baltic Eagle energisation….reports Asian Lite News Masdar, the UAE-based global clean energy powerhouse, and Iberdrola, one of the world’s

Indian Doctor Gets Top Sharjah Award

The award was presented by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah. In a moment of immense pride for the Indian diaspora, renowned paediatrician-turned-entrepreneur Dr.

Peace talks in the desert

President H.H. Sheikh Mohamed reiterated the UAE’s unwavering support for initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable peace, dialogue, and development in the South Caucasus. He also applauded the willingness of the Armenian and

World’s energy thirst to grow: OPEC

UAE sticks to 5 million bpd oil output goal as OPEC launches new World Oil Outlook at Vienna seminar…reports Asian Lite News Haitham Al Ghais, Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum

Red Sea Warzone

Iran-backed rebels intensify maritime assaults in support of Gaza; US and EU condemn abductions, Israel intercepts missile….reports Asian Lite News The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have stepped up their maritime offensive in the
Go toTop

Don't Miss

IOM deported 140 illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Libya

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that it has

Afghan TV station reopens after closure by Taliban

Taliban authorities shut down the TV station on December 4