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

Despite the number of small boat crossings in the English Channel going down in 2023, the percentage who have come from Turkey has risen from 2 to 11 percent.

Illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel in a small boat traveling from France off the coast of Dover, England on Aug. 29, 2023. Gareth Fuller/PA

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.