Kathmandu. UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered an urgent review of hundreds of illegal migrants arriving on the coast of Kent after boarding boats for two days in a row. “The failure of the Border Force to stop the boats from reaching the shore on Monday and Tuesday is unacceptable,” she said. ’
According to Mahmood, the Border Security Command will now review how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again. “Improved surveillance has significantly reduced uncontrolled crossings, but there are many more such incidents,” she said. ’
The incident came to light after the boat stopped at Samfire High in Dover. Where the Border Security Command detained 21 people. In the UK, migrants crossing the English Channel are usually brought ashore by boats from the Border Protection Command or the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
According to Mahmoud, human traffickers have changed their tactics. “They are now taking small boats from the west to France,” she said, adding that it shows that smugglers are ignoring people’s lives and sending them on longer and more dangerous routes than ever before. ’
Mahmood said the UK’s measures were having an impact. “This has made it difficult for smugglers to operate boats,” she said.
According to UK government figures, before this week’s events, only one small boat had reached British shores without an escort in September 2025.
So far this year, about 17,784 migrants have crossed the English Channel into the UK in small boats. However, the figure for 2026 is 45 per cent lower than last year. The government has ordered an investigation after boats arrived on the Kent coast for two consecutive days. – Agency
