The number of small boat migrants crossing the English Channel illegally this year has seen a 43 per cent increase on the same period last year. Official Home Office figures show that another 442 people in nine small boats crossed on Easter Sunday. Over the Easter weekend, 791 Channel migrants reached UK waters in 16 small boats and were taken to Dover harbour. A total of 5,435 migrants have arrived since the beginning of the year, well in excess of the 3,793 who had crossed the Channel by small boat at this point in 2023. The 43 per cent increase in migrant arrivals is a complete reversal of …