Record number of migrants cross the English Channel in 6 months

A record number of asylum seekers arrived in the UK via small boats crossing the English Channel in the first 6 months of this year, reports Kazinform.

Data from the UK's Home Office shows that on Sunday, 257 people crossed the sea in four boats, bringing the preliminary total for the year to 12,901 people. This figure is 17% higher than the number of arrivals during the same period last year.

The UK government's plan to send asylum seekers to East Africa has yet to be implemented. So far, no one has been deported under this scheme. Two asylum seekers voluntarily left the UK for Rwanda.

Ministers have pledged to continue the Rwandan scheme if the Conservatives win the upcoming election. The Labour Party has promised to abandon it and redirect the funds to support additional law enforcement activities.