803 Migrants Cross Channel in Record December Day

On Saturday, 803 migrants crossed the English Channel in 13 small boats, arriving on the southern coast of England in what officials described as the highest single-day total for December since records began in 2018. The arrivals, which began overnight on Friday from northern France, pushed the year's total crossings to 41,455, surpassing the full-year figure of 36,816 from 2024 and marking the second-highest annual total since data collection started that year, behind only 2022's 45,755.

Border Force vessels escorted the groups to Dover, where authorities processed the arrivals amid heightened activity. Witnesses reported a busy night with multiple boats departing French shores, including an incident near Calais where French police used tear gas to disperse around 30 migrants attempting to launch a vessel from a riverbank in Grand-Fort-Philippe. The spike followed a four-week pause in crossings from November 15 to December 12, the longest uninterrupted period without arrivals since 2018. December typically sees fewer attempts due to harsh weather, including low temperatures, poor visibility, shorter daylight, and stormy conditions, though 2,163 people have now arrived this...