10,000 migrants have already crossed the Channel this year

More than 10,000 migrants have crossed the Channel this year despite the threat of being deported to Rwanda.

The number of illegals arriving by dinghy is more than double the figure for this time last year, official figures show.

And the record arrivals have continued this week even after the first rejected asylum seekers were told they will be put on a one-way flight to East Africa.

Figures from the Ministry of Defence showed 139 migrants in six boats crossed the Dover Strait – the narrowest part of the Channel – on Thursday.

Dozens were brought ashore at Dover by Border Force officials, taking the total for the week to more than 600. 

It means 10,057 migrants have been intercepted so far this year. By this time last year the figure for arrivals by small boat was just over 4,200 and the 10,000 milestone was not reached until August.

If the aim of the Rwanda plan was to deter people coming across the Channel, it’s not actually working. Since the Government announced it, there have been record numbers coming across the water!