Over 15,000 migrants cross Channel in 2025 as crossings resume after weather delay
Over 15,000 migrants cross Channel in 2025 as crossings resume after weather delay
More than 15,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, with hundreds more attempting the journey today following a break in poor weather conditions, news reports said. Early Thursday morning, the UK Border Force vessel Volunteer arrived in Dover carrying 120 migrants who were picked up from two small boats. Additional vessels were reported in the Channel, being escorted by French patrols toward UK waters, according to GB News.
Today’s crossings are the first since June 3, when 1,195 people arrived in 19 boats—a daily record for 2025 and one of the busiest days since the Channel crisis began in 2018. Rough seas and high winds had prevented crossings in the days since. The total number of arrivals this year is now 35% higher than at the same point in 2024, when 11,127 people had made the journey.
A Home Office spokesperson reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling people-smuggling networks. Measures include enhanced enforcement in northern France, intelligence sharing via the Border Security Command, and tougher laws under the new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. The spokesperson stressed the government’s focus on dismantling criminal operations and securing UK borders.
