The number of illegal migrants who arrived in the UK on inflatable boats across the English Channel in 2023 amounted to 29.4 thousand, which is almost a third less than in 2022. The radio station reported this on January 1 L.B.C. with reference to the British government.
“[Премьер-министр Великобритании] Rishi Sunak has said he has saved taxpayers millions by eliminating asylum queues – as the number of small boat crossings in the English Channel has been cut by a third.
It is noted that the number of illegal immigrants who reach the shores of England via the English Channel has been constantly growing over recent years. In 2018, 299 such cases were registered; in 2020, 8.4 thousand people already used the illegal sea route, and in 2021 their number was 28.5 thousand. In 2022, this figure increased by 60% and reached 45.7 thousand. Over the past five years, more than 110 thousand illegal immigrants have crossed the English Channel to the UK. All this happened despite the ruling Conservative Party's promises to combat illegal immigration.
According to LBC, in total, British authorities processed more than 112 thousand asylum applications in 2023, of which 67% of applications were granted, compared to 76% of applications a year earlier.
As British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak noted, speeding up the process of considering asylum applications has given London the opportunity to reduce the cost of providing temporary housing for immigrants in hotels. During the period of consideration of applications, illegal immigrants are usually placed in special migration centers, but their number is not enough.
“I am determined to end the burden of illegal migration on the British people,” the radio station quoted Sunak as saying.
Earlier, on December 24, Bloomberg wrote that a near-record number of long-term migrants arrived in the UK in 2023, which became a problem for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who promised to reduce the number of migrants.
On August 27, The Times reported that the UK was considering issuing tracking bracelets to illegal migrants to save money on their upkeep. The British authorities have proposed equipping an illegal migrant with a GPS bracelet in order to be able to always know his whereabouts, without assigning him a place to live while his asylum application is being considered.
Prior to this, on August 6, the UK decided to increase fines for employers who hire illegal immigrants. The volume of penalties was increased threefold, to £60 thousand ($76.4 thousand).
The UK is not the only European country facing problems due to the influx of migrants. In October 2023, Bloomberg noted that the European Union (EU) was very worried about the large number of migrants coming to the bloc. However, as the agency reported, European politicians are trying to avoid the topic of migration, since this issue can ruin the careers of government officials.
In Europe, the adoption of a migration agreement based on the concept of “obligatory solidarity” is currently being discussed. According to it, the country can either accept a certain number of migrants or pay for their admission by other EU states. However, this agreement displeases many countries.
Thus, the Polish leadership announced on October 6 that Poland blocked the decision to resettle illegal migrants in Europe. Warsaw proposed that the European Union strengthen its borders and stop social support for illegal immigrants, emphasizing that there is no social assistance for migrants in the country.
Ireland also expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement. Its prime minister, Leo Varadkar, flagged in the same month that the new EU deal could lead to Ireland paying money to other countries in the union rather than voluntarily accepting additional migrants.
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