Migrants are Coming to the UK
Every single day, many people are trying to come to the UK by crossing the English Channel, the passage of water between England and France, in small boats or dinghies. And in those boats are mostly children. Migrants might be coming to the UK because they are getting away from war in their home country, or they are hoping to make more money there, which is illegal. Anyone coming to the UK in small boats or dinghies is breaking the law. Criminal gangs organize the crossings. Even though some children come to the UK with their family, most of them go alone.
Since 2018, almost 25,000 children have come to the UK on small boats. That’s according to the Migration Observatory, which used the Home Office to work it out. They say that in 2024, around 37,000 people crossed the English Channel in small boats. In 2024, the total number of people arriving in the UK was 948,000. Most of these people put in an application to come to the UK from their home country, which is legal.
Small boats and dinghies were not designed to be used to cross the sea. They also often have too many people on them to be safe. Most migrants rely on criminal gangs, who pay large amounts of money in order to make the journey. These gangs don’t always offer protective gear, like life jackets and flashlights. The number of migrants trying to cross the Channel in small boats changes with the seasons. Numbers are higher in summer months because the weather is better and the seas are calmer, which means traveling seems safer. However, even in summer, the water of the Channel is very cold. In reality, this is a very dangerous journey at this time of the year.
The Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Party report the situation with small boat crossings as a crisis. Now, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he is working with French President Emmanuel Macron on a joint plan to tighten small boat crossings. The Green Party proposed an immigration policy and said they will treat all migrants as citizens.
Many people are trying to go to the UK illegally, and most of the people are children. Criminal gangs are organizing the crossings. The Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is trying to stop them. But the Green party said they will treat all migrants as citizens.
Good work 🙂