Hundreds of migrants arrive in UK after 10 days without single entry

Nearly 500 migrants crossed the English Channel to arrive in the UK in a single day, the first such crossing in 10 days, the UK Home Office said Friday.

This marked a rare period of zero activity, meaning not a single physical boat entry was recorded at the UK border for ten consecutive days.

A total of 494 migrants entered the UK on Thursday in seven small boats, according to the latest data from the Home Office.

Prior to that on Aug. 17, seven boats made the crossing with 250 migrants.

Despite the continued arrivals, overall Channel crossings have declined this year.

Nearly 16,400 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, down 43% from the same period in 2025, and 17% from the same point in 2024, according to the BBC.