Face of Nation : Home Secretary Priti Patel will hold talks with her French counterpart after more than 60 migrants attempted to cross the Channel on Thursday. Four boats were intercepted by Border Force off the coast of Kent, with two landing on a beach in Sussex.
A further two dinghies carrying a total of 19 adults, 10 children and a baby were picked up by French authorities. More than 900 people, including at least 80 children, have crossed the Channel in small boats this year.
A Home Office spokeswoman said crossing the Channel in a small boat is a “huge risk” and “the criminal gangs who perpetuate this are ruthless and do not care about loss of life.”
She added: “We continue to monitor the ongoing situation and are working closely at all levels with French authorities on the issue.” “The home secretary will raise this issue with her French counterpart in the coming days.”
On Thursday, the Home Office said 37 migrants – including what it called six “claimed minors” – were found in the Channel and medically assessed.
Another 24 people, including four children, were detained by police and transferred to Border Force after arriving by boat at Winchelsea Beach in East Sussex. Many of those intercepted said they were Iranian nationals and others said they were from Guinea, Kuwait, and the Ivory Coast.
The Home Office said 65 people who arrived illegally in the UK in small boats have been returned to European countries this year. In December, Ms Patel’s predecessor Sajid Javid declared the rising number of migrants attempting to cross the Channel in this way a “major incident”.
The Home Office has three Border Force cutters in the Channel and coordinates with France to try to stop illegal attempts to cross the border. Last month leaked footage obtained by the BBC showed a trial of long-range thermal imaging cameras which could be used to monitor migrant boats leaving France.
The Home Office refused to confirm if it planned to purchase the technology, which is similar to that used by US authorities at the Mexican border.
