Asylum seekers love England for a better life, free education, health care, and more freedom according to them. Record number of people cross the UK Channel, as arrivals soar by 60% in a year.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of arrivals in 2022, a continuation of a years-long trend that shows no signs of stopping with a record 45,728 people that crossed the English Channel to the UK on small boats. Up more than 60% on 2021, migrants continue to risk their lives making the dangerous twenty-mile journey.
The perils of the deep waters separating France and Britain were once again brought painfully into the spotlight over the last 12 months, when four people lost their lives after their boat capsized in freezing waters in December.
It was a year where the government continued to promise tough measures to stop the flow of boats and crack down on people smugglers, including pursuing its controversial Rwanda deportation scheme.
The figures, based on provisional data released daily and weekly by the government, show a sharp rise in the number of arrivals last year, a continuation of a years-long trend that shows no signs of stopping.
This is an increase of more than 17,000 on the 28,526 who arrived in 2021. Last year, 1,104 boats succeeded in reaching the UK, a small increase on the 1,034 that made the journey in 2021. This sheds light once again on one of the most concerning trends; smugglers are packing more and more people aboard larger and larger dinghies, sometimes with deadly consequences.
In 2020, an average of 13 people were aboard each dinghy, rising to 28 the following year. Last year that number rose again to 41, rising as high as 45 people per boat in the second half of the year. Almost 44% of days saw at least one additional person make the life-threatening journey to the UK, with arrivals on 159 separate days.
A decline in the use of ferries by people seeking to reach Britain, exacerbated by the pandemic, has seen the number of people using dinghies spike in recent years. Arrivals have increased by more than 15,000% from 2018, when just 299 people made the crossing by boat.
Numbers of overall asylum applications, however, have modestly increased over the past few years, suggesting that it is the method of reaching the UK that has shifted more than the numbers of people. A government spokeswoman said: "The global migration crisis is causing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.
"Nobody should put their lives at risk by taking dangerous and illegal journeys. We will go further to tackle the gangs driving this, using every tool at our disposal to deter illegal migration and disrupt the business model of people smugglers.''
Amongst the asylum seekers, many Albanians cross the channel and are convinced not to hand themselves in as refugees. Albanians who facilitate their entrance are convincing many to join Albanian gangs and start peddling drugs.
The authorities talk big about curbing UK migrants; however, talk is cheap. Those who arrive are not sent back. Instead, they are given dwelling. In fact, of the 45,728 who arrived illegally in 2022 they will all receive help from the government.
A recent report highlights the extent of the problem for UK tax payers who according to the article clarify that around three billion sterling pounds was spent to support asylum seekers in 2022 alone. Additionally, 270,000 refugees arrived in England and have been given lodgings and financial support.
In terms of humanities English people are too kind, as it is putting a huge strain on public finances and the general public are not altogether in agreement that England should bail out foreigners who are fed up with their country of birth, often with a promise that the other side of the field is greener!
Have a terrific day!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Soar (v) = fly, ascend, climb, rise, mount, (ant) plummet
Capsized (v) = overturned, upturned, tipped, sank, turn over, roll over
Smugglers (n) = runners, contrabandists, moon-cruisers, moon curser
Sheds light (idiom) = to help to explain (something): to make it possible to understand or know more about (something). “She is developing new theories that might shed some light on these unusual phenomena.”
Dinghies (n) = a small inflatable rubber boat
Exacerbated (v) = worsened, aggravated, impaired, intensified, make worse, (ant) soothed, improved
Peddling (v) = touting, selling, marketing, vending, pushing, get rid of
Dwelling (n) = house, home, abode, residence
The other side of the field is greener (idiom) = saying something that you say that means that other people always seem to be in a better situation than you, although they may not be: “I sometimes think I'd be happier teaching in Spain.” Or “Oh well, the grass is always greener on the other side!”