The UK had the highest monthly total of people crossing the Channel on record in August with more than 8,000, an analysis of government figures show.
In the 31-day period, 8,644 made the journey on 189 boats, with crossings taking place on 21 of those days. It is the highest monthly total since records began in 2018, with the previous high of 6,961 recorded in November 2021, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
On 22 August, the highest ever daily total was recorded, with 1,295 people crossing in 27 boats. More than 25,000 people have made the crossing in 2022 so far, according to Home Office figures and provisional data collected by the Ministry of Defence.
In April, Priti Patel, the home secretary, announced contentious plans to send such people to Rwanda in an attempt to deter others from crossing the Channel. Since then, 19,775 people have arrived in the UK after making the trip.
The first deportation flight to Rwanda – due to take off on 15 June – was cancelled while the plane was on the runway in Salisbury due to an intervention from the European court of human rights that came after a series of legal challenges by those on board.
Several asylum seekers, the Public and Commercial Services union, and the charities Care4Calais, Detention Action and Asylum Aid are challenging the legality of the Home Office policy with the next court hearings due to take place from Monday.
The Home Office has said “no one will be relocated if it is unsafe or inappropriate for them, and our thorough assessment of Rwanda has found that it is a fundamentally safe and secure country, with a track record of supporting asylum seekers”.
Meanwhile, the UK government removed 27 foreign criminals and five immigration offenders on a charter flight to Albania.
Last week, Patel agreed a deal with the Albanian government to step up police activity and fast-track removals in an effort to tackle Channel crossings after numbers increased “substantially” over the last few months.
Up to 60% of arrivals are understood to be from the south-eastern European country.
The Home Office said one of the people returned on Thursday’s flight to Albania was removed 24 days after “entering the UK illegally” by crossing the Channel on a boat last month.
Others included someone who was removed 19 days after immigration officers caught them working in a restaurant, having overstayed as a visitor, and another who arrived hidden in a lorry in May.
Among the foreign criminals were those convicted of supplying class A drugs, facilitating illegal entry and sexual offences.
The National Crime Agency said it was running about 60 investigations into suspects who used small boats to smuggle thousands of people into the UK.
