Big Rise in Turkish Illegal Immigrants Crossing Channel to Come to Britain

Published on January 4, 2024

The number of illegal immigrants coming to Britain from Turkey, crossing in small boats across the English Channel, has risen almost threefold in the last year. The latest Home Office statistics, released this week, show the number of illegal immigrants from Turkey has risen from 1,127 in 2022 to 3,060 last year. Last month 166 people from Turkey crossed by small boat, second only to the 338 from Iran, and more than the 134 coming from Afghanistan, which has been the most common source since the Taliban took Kabul in Aug. 2021. Considering the low rate of approval for asylum applications from Turkey, the majority are believed to be economic migrants....