Thumbs-up and a wave as bumper numbers brave the waves to land in Britain
On a beautiful August morning in Dover, you might expect the most excited travellers to be those queuing up to take the ferry to France on long-awaited holidays.
But, in fact, it is those on the very smallest vessels − migrants arriving in record numbers, sometimes in nothing bigger than a kayak, waving and giving a thumbs-up as they land on British soil.
This has been a bumper period for migrant arrivals in Kent. So far, 4,137 have landed, more than twice as many as in all of 2019. From Thursday to Sunday alone, 565 arrived during a period of hot weather and calmer seas.
“Border Force officers are frustrated and tired – it’s constant, there’s no respite,” says Kevin Mills, a local councillor and Border Force union representative.
On particularly busy days, like over the weekend, the authorities’ boats are in and out of the port “absolutely constantly”, according to one local who watches the vessels.
On Monday morning, a Border Force boat called Hunter met a boat carrying 20 people early on and brought them to shore for processing. The sea was choppy, and one migrant was spotted bailing out water with a plastic container as the vessel slumped low in the water. Another was smoking a cigarette. Later that day, Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, made a visit to Dover to meet officials to discuss the issue.
She stepped out of a police boat after a short trip out to sea and walked up the gangway to the Border Force hub where hundreds of migrants end up each week. She tweeted: “Today I was in Dover to see how Border Force and other operational partners are tirelessly dealing with the unacceptable number of illegal small boat crossings. I am absolutely committed to making this incredibly dangerous route unviable.”
The Government is also enlisting the help of the military. An RAF surveillance aircraft was tracked leaving RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 6am and heading to the Channel where it could be seen zig-zagging over the water. It remained in the area until 4pm, with the Ministry of Defence confirming the Home Office had officially requested its help.
MPS and peers, including the former first sea lord Lord West, have called for the Navy to be deployed to help turn ships around, but Home Office sources said the request for military help was focused on outcomes rather than “specific assets”.
The situation is so fluid, MOD sources admit they don’t know
whether the A400 Atlas plane will be deployed again, as it remains to be seen whether it is the most appropriate form of assistance. A defence source said that the aircraft was not “a permanent fixture” adding: “The plane is one part of the response, but what comes next, if at all, hasn’t been decided.”
The deployment of the military has led to a war of words with French politicians, with the MP for Calais, Pierre-henri Dumont, saying: “This is a political measure to show some kind of resource to fight against smugglers and illegal crossings in the Channel, but technically speaking, that won’t change anything.”
Asked if it might be a deterrent, he added: “Yes, but that’s dangerous, because if there is a vessel from the Royal Navy trying to push a vessel, very small boat full with migrants, back into French waters − first you could say that you’ve got British vessels entering French waters, I don’t know if the British Government would be very happy to see it the other way.”
Responding to the comments, a British defence source said: “To imply that the UK Navy would operate outside of UK and international laws and norms is dangerous and misleading.
“The military will support the Home Office in their work to combat Channel crossings.”
In Dover, despite the large numbers of migrants arriving, the impact on the local community is relatively mild. Testament to the hard work of the Border Force, there is little evidence of migrants on the high street.
Outdoor tables at cafes and pubs are packed as locals make the most of Eat Out to Help Out offers. Children on summer holidays roam around. Tourists visit the castle.
“They land, they get processed and they whip them on to coaches and get them further up the country,” says Michael Underhill, a Dover resident who worked in the former immigration detention centre, which closed a number of years ago.
For some in Dover, their biggest fear is that the migrant arrivals will put off other visitors. According to Mr Mills: “It’s the adverse publicity that’s the greatest concern.”
‘Border Force officers are frustrated and tired
− there’s no respite’