The British government has announced that more than 20,000 migrants from Europe have arrived in the country by boat across the English Channel since January 2025.
This is the highest number of any year.
Figures show that on Monday alone, 879 migrants arrived in the UK, bringing the total number of arrivals in the first six months of 2025 to 19,982, a 50% increase on the same period last year.
The situation is putting pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as his government continues to push to reduce the number of people entering the country illegally.
The government says that more than 24,000 people who were not allowed to stay in the UK have been returned home since July 2024, and the government has also promised to stop using expensive hotels to house asylum seekers.
In 2024, 73 people died trying to cross the English Channel in small boats.
Nigel Farage, leader of the UK's Reform Party, recently wrote on X: "The number of boat arrivals is staggering and will continue to rise unless we continue to provide them with all the necessary facilities when they arrive here."
In May, Starmer announced a plan to reduce immigration, saying the UK could become an island of foreigners, which drew widespread criticism.
