Border Force officials have brought groups of people, believed to be migrants, into Dover following a series of overnight Channel crossings from northern France.
A Busy Night on the Channel
Witnesses reported seeing individuals leaving the French coast on Friday night and into Saturday, making the perilous journey across the English Channel in small boats. The arrivals were processed at the Border Force compound in Dover on Saturday, 20 December 2025.
The Scale of Crossings in 2025
According to an analysis of the latest Government figures by the Press Association, a total of 40,652 migrants have now undertaken the dangerous crossing since the start of 2025. While the rate of arrivals has increased more swiftly this year compared to previous periods, the annual total has not yet surpassed the record set in 2022, when 45,755 people arrived.
The UK Government continues to focus on addressing the root, or "upstream," causes of the migration crisis. This includes collaborative work with neighbouring countries to disrupt smuggling networks and tackle the drivers of illegal migration.
International Crackdown on Smugglers
In a significant development this week, Germany passed a new law designed to combat people smuggling networks targeting the UK. The legislation, which will come into force before the end of the year, could see smugglers face up to 10 years in prison for attempting to bring migrants into Britain.
The law change aims to:
- Grant more powers to law enforcement and prosecutors.
- Boost information sharing between the UK and German authorities.
This follows a deal agreed between the two nations in December last year to tackle illegal migration, which included action to remove smugglers' advertisements from social media platforms.
Commenting on the German law, 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."
