News, South East
PA MediaA total of 435 migrants in seven boats were brought to shore at Dover on Saturday, according to the Home Office.
It is the highest daily number since the new “one in, one out” deal with France became operational on Wednesday.
The migrants, some children, were brought to shore by Border Force and the RNLI on the same day a number of immigration protests took place across the UK.
It comes as the National Crime Agency (NCA) announced it had been involved in more than 300 arrests of people smugglers in five years since it launched a joint operation with French police.
The government’s “one in, one out” pilot will see the UK able to return some migrants arriving at Dover to France, in exchange for receiving the same number of asylum seekers from France who are believed to have a legitimate claim to come to the UK.
The numbers involved in the scheme are initially expected to be small, with the first returns due to happen within weeks.
More than 25,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel since the start of the year.
The government is facing increasing political pressure on the issue of immigration, with a series of protests and counter demonstrations outside UK hotels which are used to house asylum seekers.
PA MediaThe NCA announced earlier that more than 300 suspected people smugglers have been arrested in the last five years due to judicial investigations carried out by French law enforcement.
In July alone, six members of an Afghan people-smuggling network were sentenced to a total of 26 years and 10 months imprisonment in France, and received fines totalling £150,000.
Rick Jones, who leads the NCA’s international network, said: “France is a key partner for the UK in the fight against organised immigration crime, and the NCA enjoys an excellent bi-lateral relationship with our French law enforcement counterparts.
“Together with them we are determined to do all we can to target these cruel people smuggling gangs who are putting lives at risk by transporting migrants across the Channel.”
