Pregnant woman is among dozens of migrants rescued from English Channel as at least three trafficking boats are intercepted by Border Force guards
- Authorities rescued expectant mother with 19 others near Dunkirk this morning
- Two other vessels, one near Kent and the other near Calais, also stopped today
- It is latest migrant landing since Boxing Day, when group of 49 were detained
- Home Secretary vowed illegal migrant crossings of Channel would be halved
A pregnant woman was among dozens of migrants to be rescued from the English Channel today as at least three trafficking boats were intercepted by officials.
French authorities rescued the expectant mother along with 19 other people from an inflatable boat that was taking on water near Dunkirk this morning.
Meanwhile, another vessel with ten men and one woman on board was intercepted off the coast of Kent at 5.34am.
Pictures showed a Border Force boat docking in the harbour at the Port of Dover this morning
The group of suspected migrants, who claimed to be from Iran, were then brought to the marina at Dover by two Border Force boats.
They are now being medically assessed and transferred to immigration officials for interviews.
An additional 11 people, including two young children, were picked up near Calais after their engine failed.
The multiple incidents are the latest migrant rescues since Boxing Day, when officials detained a group of 49 migrants crammed into four small boats.
They included Iranian, Iraqi and Afghan citizens – and one child.
French authorities rescued a further 14 people who set off with the other 49 but got into trouble off the waters of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The Home Office responded to the incidents as a spokesman said: ‘Illegal migration is a criminal activity.
‘Those who seek to come to the UK unlawfully and the ruthless criminals who facilitate journeys are all breaking the law and endangering lives.
‘We will always ensure we have the right resources in place to keep our border secure.
‘Individuals who reach the UK illegally should be in no doubt about our determination to return them to Europe as it is an established principle that those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.’
More than 125 migrants who entered the UK illegally via small boats have been returned to Europe since January 2019, according to government figures.
A 42-metre Border Force cutter and two coastal patrol vessels will be keeping watch in the Channel over the remainder of the Christmas and New Year period.
Drones and specialist vehicles have also been deployed to stop small boats leaving French shores and arriving in the UK illegally.
More than 1,700 people have crossed the Channel in small boats this year.
In October Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed that illegal migrant crossings of the Channel will be halved by the end of the month.
Last month, at least 129 migrants made it into the UK by making the life-risking trip across the Dover Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Several people were seen disembarking before being taken away in vans. It is the latest migrant landing at Dover since Boxing Day
The migrant crisis erupted last November with hundreds arriving in the final two months of 2018.
It prompted then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid to declare a ‘major incident’, calling in extra Border Force cutters and the Government spending millions of pounds to tackle the issue.
But the problem has worsened throughout 2019, and Home Secretary Priti Patel revealed in October she had agreed an ‘action plan’ with France.
She said patrols across the French coast had been doubled to stop people smugglers, and the Home Office had already funded drones to scour France’s beaches – but the crossings have continued.
It is the latest migrant landing since Boxing Day, when officials detained a group of 49 migrants crammed into four small boats (pictured arriving at Dover)