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Channel migrants: More than 25,000 cross to Kent so far in 2022

PA Media Migrants being brought ashore at DungenessPA Media
Children were among a group of migrants brought ashore at Dungeness on Saturday

At least 25,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel to Kent so far in 2022, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Defence.

A total of 915 people reached Kent in 19 small boats on Saturday.

Women and children were among a group brought ashore by an RNLI lifeboat at Dungeness.

There have been 8,747 crossings detected in August so far, with 3,733 in the past week. Monday saw 1,295, the highest daily total on record.

The provisional total of crossings for the year so far was now 25,146, according to the Ministry of Defence.

PA Media RNLI bring migrants ashore at DungenessPA Media
Around 40 migrants were brought ashore to Dungeness on an RNLI vessel on Saturday

It is more than four months since Home Secretary Priti Patel unveiled plans to send migrants to Rwanda to try to deter people from crossing the Channel.

Since then 19,878 have arrived in the UK after making the journey.

In April, Ms Patel signed what she described as a "world-first" agreement with Rwanda under which the east African nation would receive migrants deemed by the UK to have arrived "illegally", and therefore inadmissible under new immigration rules.

However, the first deportation flight, due to take off in June, was grounded amid legal challenges.

Several asylum seekers, the Public and Commercial Services Union and some charities have challenged the legality of the Home Office policy, with the next court hearings due in September and October.

PA Media Migrants being brought ashore at DungenessPA Media
A total of 25,146 migrants have crossed the English Channel to Kent so far in 2022, according to MoD figures

The number of people reaching the UK in small boats from France after navigating busy shipping lanes has increased steadily in recent years.

Some 299 were detected in 2018, followed by 1,843 in 2019, 8,466 in 2020 and 28,526 last year, official figures show.

Meanwhile, data from the UN's refugee agency shows at least 120,441 people arrived in mainland Europe via the Mediterranean by land and sea last year.

Both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have said they would push ahead with the Rwanda policy if they become the new Conservative party leader and prime minister.

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