Twenty people intercepted in Channel by Border Force and brought into Ramsgate

Border Force intercepted the people this afternoon

Twenty people have been intercepted by Border Force as they attempted to cross the Channel in a small craft and been brought into Ramsgate today (June 26).

Immigration enforcement, Border Force and South East Coast Ambulance Service have been dealing with a group of 18 males and two females who presented themselves as Iranian, Iraqi and Kuwaiti nationals.

The Border Force crew on the Seeker vessel intercepted the group at around 2.45pm today. Border Force and partner agencies have dealt with five incidents today after being alerted to small boats in the Channel travelling towards the UK.

All individuals were brought to Home Office facilities and were assessed to establish whether there were any medical requirements.

All have now been transferred to immigration officials. They will be interviewed and their cases will be dealt with in line with the immigration rules, transferring to detention where appropriate. Home Office officials say the people will be returned to France if appropriate.

In total 62 people have been intercepted by Border Force today.

Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts Chris Philp said: “Using all the skills of Border Force, the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement and French Law enforcement, we are determined to dismantle the ruthless criminal gangs who facilitate these crossings and put people’s lives in danger. We are bringing those responsible to justice and earlier this month two people smugglers were jailed, bringing the total jailed this year to 21.

“Over the last two months the French stopped over 1,000 migrants from making this perilous journey, and prevented further attempts today.

“But we won’t stop there and will continue to work tirelessly with our French counterparts to combat this.”

Senior UK and French officials met this month as part of their ongoing cooperation to address illegal migration. Both countries say they are ommitted to tackling this issue and going after the people smugglers behind it.

In 2019 Immigration Enforcement made 418 arrests, leading to 203 convictions for a total of 437 years. Of these 259 arrests and 101 convictions were people smuggling. Officials carried out 841 disruptions against organised crime gangs and individuals engaged in organised immigration crime, 404 relating to people smuggling.

This year 21 people smugglers have been convicted and put behind bars as a result of Immigration Enforcement investigations.

23 Comments

  1. Words, words statistics and platitudes!
    Why are these ILLEGALS not being either stopped at source or being sent back?
    These are the ones that are known about.
    WRONG.

  2. Nice to hear, they were put safely aboard the Border Farce taxi.

    Let’s make sure they all now get some free medical care, somewhere nice to say, and plenty of food. Soon they will be able to pay us back, leaving their rubbish all over the streets, spitting everywhere, hanging about in groups, so local people are afraid to go anywhere near them. Oh, nearly forgot, make sure they don’t have to abide by any rules, or laws, just let them do as they want.

  3. Rebecca hooper until we are out of the EU all together we can do this under our own laws. Of course they are covered by the human rights act. Tony Blair signed away our rights.They are coming from Iraq Iran and North africa.more added to the peaceful invasion of our country adding to the silent army who are already here under the guise of refugees.

  4. I am sorry for anybody who comes here under the impression that the British are kind and tolerant. They will be rapidly disillusioned.

    • Sadly true! The majority of the British strike me as being small minded, xenophobic racists, who hate anyone who is remotely different to them. I even hear of people advocating murder! Absolutely disgraceful! These are human beings!

  5. Way to be intolerant racists.. really doing us all proud. I know who I’d rather have a neighbour if I had the choice.

  6. Racist?
    They are entering illegally from another EU country. EU rules say they must be processed in the country of entry. Which is at least France not the UK.
    No matter what nationality, colour, ethnic background, religion they are, they have no right to be here.
    We have ways to get in legally. Fill out the paperwork and submit it the right way.
    Funny how they won’t, because most would not get in. Get in a dinghy and most end up staying.
    That is why they do it.
    It’s not racist. You can’t just go to a country and expect to be taken in and get all the benefits of that country just like that.

    • This is unfortunately untrue. The only reason people find the UK so attractive is the fact we have the highest benefit rates in all of Europe. They do not qualify for a lot of benefits in the countries they pass through so they “settle” here. I do agree with you Marva about the intolerance on this issue but it is extremely short sighted to say that people are “racist” for becoming disillusioned with the system they have no choice but to accept because a previous government signed up for an act they didn’t fully understand the ramifications of. Again, not trying to discount your opinion but trying to introduce a balanced point of view 🙂

  7. Elaine ahearn Marva Rees if people are paying traffickers to cross the channel they are illegal when sneaking in during the night. This country has always given people refuge. They can do it by applying to the first safe country they arrive in the EU.This is nothing to do with resentment. This is not misinformation it’s fact.

  8. Brian Smith-Stewart- I don’t see what your comment has to do with Elaine Aherne’s and mine.

  9. Coming out of the EU will see immigration rise from China and India. Most of the Immigrants that arrived last year were Chinese and Indian. Someone needs to do the low paid jobs the Brits wont do.

    Furthermore….twice as many illegals have entered the UK under a Tory govt. The Tories are all talk…..no action.

  10. I’m sure others will think twice about making the journey across the channel now we are hearing reports from other asylum seekers in the light of the Glasgow incident about the free food provided not being to their liking, the free hotels not being to their taste and the poor quality of the free WiFi. Bet they wish they hadn’t left home.

  11. I’m not sure why Marva is insulting me. I am speaking up for the asylum seekers. If I went to all the effort of leaving a perfectly safe country where I could have claimed asylum and tried to cross the world’s busiest shipping lane in a dinghy then, frankly, my expectations would be quite high on what was waiting for me on the other side.

    To be then put in some 3 star hovel hotel in a random city with a sub standard menu and laggy WiFi is, frankly, taking the proverbial.

    Whatever happened to the great British welcome? Whatever happened to our sense of hospitality and protection. It makes me ashamed to be British and I think we as a nation could do much better.

    • Thanetian Blind- Your comment (4.44pm) suggests that you don’t understand why asylum seekers leave their home.And your sarcasm wasn’t amusing .There are plenty of people commenting on this paper who sincerely believe that asylum seekers are treated very well, better than some British citizen. Whatever your intentions, you sounded like one of them.

  12. Thanet Blind genuine asylum people should go through the procedure of claiming at the first safe country from the middle East the UK is not the first port of call. These people are being allowed to invade this country by illegal means by the way we are a democracy we are entitled to our opinion.

  13. I was an asylum seeker, but in those days they called us evacuees! I have worked as a volunteer helping asylum seekers/refugees, and the main reason they want to come here is because they don’t speak any other language, except their own, and usually English! They are escaping wars, and poverty, if you were sitting in the dirt and dust, with no possibility of a future, with no infrastructure, such as electricity, hospitals, schools, roads, water, etc, and the fear of being killed, or injured, you would want to try and escape it wouldn’t you?

    Those people I met were happy to work, often for a pittance below minimum wage, and lived in squalor because they couldn’t afford the extortionate rents they were being charged! They wanted a future, and were hard working, many very well educated, and we need people like that!

  14. People taking such desperate means to try to find safety need to be helped and understood! The only refugees I have met have been ordinary people escaping impossible horrors in their home country. My best friend in school in the 1950s was a Polish refugee whose family fled war in Europe and Russian domination of Poland. They spent several years in refugee camps before moving to areas where they were needed as workers. Millions came from all over the world. War is driving people out of their countries now. Have some tolerance and sympathy!

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