Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the arrival of 752 people by small boat on 29 July 2026 on border security.
Answered by Home Office
The Government has been clear that small boat crossings are dangerous, unnecessary, and unacceptable. Organised crime groups (OCGs) continue to put lives at risk by launching dangerously overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels.
We continually assess changes in methods used by OCGs who facilitate these crossings including the use of larger, unsuitable vessels and the increasing number of people carried on individual boats. Overcrowding and poor construction can make vessels unstable and vulnerable to failure, placing both those on board and those responding to incidents at serious risk.
The Border Security Command is working with operational partners and international counterparts to disrupt the OCGs, equipment supply chains and launch activity that facilitate these crossings. We are making progress with the number of small boat crossings down by over 40% this year and with over 48,000 crossing attempts prevented.
More than 1,100 boats and engines have been seized by the National Crime Agency working with international partners, disrupting the supply of small boat equipment.
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