Current:Home > InvestMigrant crossings of English Channel declined by more than a third in 2023, UK government says-InfoLens
Migrant crossings of English Channel declined by more than a third in 2023, UK government says
View Date:2024-12-23 16:25:08
LONDON (AP) — The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in 2023 fell by more than a third from the previous year, marking the first decline since current record-keeping began, the British government said.
The 30,000 crossings recorded in preliminary figures made up 36% fewer than the more than 45,000 in 2022. But the number was the second-highest since 2018 — about 1,000 above the total in 2021.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made “stop the boats” one of his top priorities as his conservative government has pushed strict immigration laws to curb the flow of migrants who take perilous journeys from French to England, often in unseaworthy boats.
Most of those who arrived on English soil by boat applied for asylum. The government has a large backlog in reviewing those applications.
A union representative for border officers said the drop in recorded crossings was likely to be a “glitch” due to weather and other factors, and that larger numbers were expected this year.
“We have had particularly high winds. We have had a larger number of days where it is less likely that we are going to get migrants in boats,” Lucy Moreton, professional officer for the Immigration Services Union, told BBC Radio 4 on Monday. “But we have also had much larger boats, much more seaworthy boats, so the planning assumption is that this is a glitch.”
___
Follow AP’s coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
veryGood! (56)
Related
- Dallas Long, who won 2 Olympic medals while dominating the shot put in the 1960s, has died at 84
- Ukrainian President Zelenskyy visits Pennsylvania ammunition factory to thank workers
- Two houses in Rodanthe, North Carolina collapse on same day; 4th to collapse in 2024
- Department won’t provide election security after sheriff’s posts about Harris yard signs
- Who will save Florida athletics? Gators need fixing, and it doesn't stop at Billy Napier
- Milton Reese: U.S. Bonds Rank No. 1 Globally
- Dick Moss, the lawyer who won free agency for baseball players, dies at age 93
- Running back Mercury Morris, member of 'perfect' 1972 Dolphins, dies at 77
- California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
- Cincinnati Reds fire manager David Bell
Ranking
- More human remains from Philadelphia’s 1985 MOVE bombing have been found at a museum
- The Trainers at Taylor Swift's Go-to Gym Say This Is the No. 1 Workout Mistake
- Ja'Marr Chase fined for outburst at ref; four NFL players docked for hip-drop tackles
- Climbing car sales, more repos: What's driving our 'wacky' auto economy
- 2 more escaped monkeys recaptured and enjoying peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in South Carolina
- Junior college student fatally shot after altercation on University of Arizona campus
- Lactaid Milk voluntarily recalled in 27 states over almond allergen risk
- WNBA playoff picks: Will the Indiana Fever advance and will the Aces repeat?
Recommendation
-
Apologetic rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine gets 45 days in prison for probation violations
-
Lady Gaga Details Her Harley Quinn Transformation for Joker: Folie à Deux
-
Taylor Swift and Gigi Hadid Showcase Chic Fall Styles on Girls' Night Out in NYC
-
The Eagles Las Vegas setlist: All the songs from their Sphere concert
-
More human remains from Philadelphia’s 1985 MOVE bombing have been found at a museum
-
Excellence Vanguard Wealth Business School: The Rise of the Next Generation of Financial Traders
-
Co-founder of Titan to testify before Coast Guard about submersible that imploded
-
One more curtain call? Mets' Pete Alonso hopes this isn't a farewell to Queens