Record-Breaking Boat with 125 Migrants Crosses the Channel, Smugglers Ramp Up Operations

A boat packed with 125 migrants has crossed the Channel, breaking the previous record for the most people on a single boat. This alarming discovery comes just as smugglers have vowed to ramp up their operations, pushing the UK government into an even tougher situation.

The crossing took place on Saturday, a day when 895 people made their way to the UK on 12 boats, as reported by BBC. The previous record was 106 migrants on one boat, so this jump is certainly raising some eyebrows.

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Smugglers have been bold in their plans, saying they’ll increase their networks and use even larger boats to transport migrants. Some are even talking about sending up to 2,000 people in dinghies every single day. That’s a major concern for the Home Office, especially considering how much more difficult it would be to keep up with these numbers.

A source revealed that smugglers are also targeting the government’s deportation strategy, claiming that the Home Office would need to deport 2,000 people a week for the current plan to have any real deterrent effect.

This worrying trend was already evident last Friday when 1,072 people were detected on 13 boats. On average, that means around 82 people were packed into each boat. Smugglers are clearly taking advantage of the good weather, making these dangerous crossings even more frequent. And on Saturday, another 85 people were found on a single boat, continuing the trend of larger, overcrowded vessels.

So far in 2025, more than 32,000 people have made the perilous crossing, with the numbers only rising. While a period of high winds has temporarily paused the crossings, it’s expected to pick up again as soon as the weather clears.

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In response to the escalating crisis, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy argued that the UK’s approach, which includes sending people back to their countries of origin, has been showing results. “It’s been very important to increase the numbers of people that we are returning to the countries from which they are from, and that’s gone up 14%,” Lammy stated. He also emphasized that working with France is key to stopping these dangerous crossings.

“The work must continue,” Lammy said. “We have to bear down on the gangs, smash the model effectively, and ensure that those who do not have a right to be here are sent back to the countries from which they are from.”

Meanwhile, former US President Donald Trump has weighed in, advising Sir Keir Starmer to call in the military to stop these Channel crossings. Trump, who has often criticized illegal immigration, warned that unchecked immigration “destroys countries from within,” adding that carrying out mass deportations would be a “very hard chore.”

The situation is getting more urgent by the day, and it looks like both the UK and France will need to take even more decisive action if they want to get a handle on the rising number of Channel crossings.