Government documents reportedly show officials handed out 974 hijabs to migrants who crossed the Channel in small boats this year. The Mail on Sunday claims the religious headdress, worn by some Muslim women and girls, was included in clothing packs given to every migrant arriving in the UK via small boats.
Home Office defends provision
The Home Office has insisted it has a legal duty to provide the hijabs under short-term holding facility rules. These rules were first established under the Conservative government in 2018 and last amended when Rishi Sunak was Prime Minister.
A spokesperson told the Mail on Sunday: “All arrivals receive a basic dry clothing pack where required. The items available form part of standard welfare arrangements.”
Clothing pack breakdown
In total, 15,406 packs have been given to migrants as 19,000 small boat crossings have been attempted so far this year, the report says. The breakdown reflects the fact the vast majority of small boats migrants are male, as 10,694 clothing packs for men were given out.
Only 2,760 packs were given to women, and 773 to boys and 829 for girls. Another 350 babygrows were also handed out.
Crossings down
The packs typically include dry, clean tracksuits to be worn while migrants are placed in 'holding rooms' or 'residential holding rooms' by immigration authorities, and disposable slippers.
Small boats crossings have fallen this year, according to Oxford University. The university’s Migration Observatory says around 36,000 people arrived by small boat in the year to May 2026, 13 percent less than in the same period the year before. There were 41,000 arrivals in 2025, more than in all other years except 2022, when 45,000 did so.
