A total of 1,194 migrants crossed the English Channel on Saturday, according to the UK Home Office. This marks the busiest day on this dangerous migratory route since the beginning of the year and a record for 2025.
The crossings were made in 18 boats, intercepted by Border Force on the British coast. Defence Minister John Healey described the scenes as "quite shocking." He also stated that the UK has "lost control of its borders" in the last five years.
This daily figure is the highest recorded so far in 2025, surpassing the previous record of 825 in May. It is slightly lower than the 1,305 arrivals on September 3, 2022, the busiest day since statistics began in 2018.