Groups of people thought to be migrants have been brought into Dover by the Border Force, after a series of overnight Channel crossings.
Migrants were witnessed leaving northern France on Friday night and into Saturday on small boats.
Some 40,652 migrants have made the dangerous Channel crossing since the start of 2025, according to analysis of the latest Government figures by the Press Association.
While the number of people making the dangerous journey across the English Channel has risen more swiftly in 2025 than past years, the yearly total has still not surpassed that of 2022, when 45,755 arrived: the highest on record.
The Government meanwhile continues efforts to grasp the so-called “upstream” causes of the migration crisis, including through work with neighbouring countries.
Just this week, Germany passed a new law which could see people smugglers face up to 10 years in prison for trying to bring migrants to the UK.
The law change, which will come into force before the end of the year, aims to give more powers to law enforcement and prosecutors, and boost information sharing between the UK and Germany.
It follows a deal agreed between the two countries in December last year to tackle illegal migration, including taking action to remove smugglers’ advertising on social media.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This major change in German law is the result of our close partnership working to tackle illegal migration and organised immigration crime.
“We will continue to ramp up our international co-operation to strengthen our own border security.”
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