Migrants cross English Channel to UK for 1st time in 2026

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Migrants were detected crossing the English Channel to the UK for the first time in 2026 on Monday, according to UK Home Office figures.

Data released Tuesday showed that 32 people reached the UK in a single small boat, marking the first English Channel crossing of the new year after four consecutive days without any detected arrivals.

The crossing comes after a year of elevated migration levels.

A total of 41,472 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2025 – nearly 5,000 more than in 2024.

The increase came despite enhanced measures by the UK government to curb irregular migration.

British authorities said in December that around 50,000 people who were in the country illegally had been removed since July 2024 – a 23% increase compared to the previous 16-month period.

In August 2025, a UK-France treaty aimed at reducing illegal crossings came into force, providing a legal basis for a pilot scheme under which adult migrants who cross the Channel may be returned if their asylum claims are deemed inadmissible.