Only 3% of the UK’s small boat illegal migrants have been deported

After seven years, 97% of ‘Macron’s Migrants’ remain in the United Kingdom

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2025

And 80% of them continue to be males under 40 years old

Today we can reveal that only 3% of illegal migrants arriving by small boats across the English Channel have been deported, and this percentage has barely moved since Labour took office last July.

Nearly 97% remain in the UK and 80% of these are males aged under 40. This report is based on an in-depth analysis of the latest Home Office data files by the Facts4EU think-tank, in association with CIBUK.Org and GB News.

Today we focus on deportations of illegal migrants – and the data is not good

In Part III of this Facts4EU.Org series on population and immigration, we reveal the pitifully small number of President Macron’s illegal boat migrants who have been deported from the UK since the small boat crisis began in 2018.

Readers hear about the number of illegal migrants who enter the UK by leaving France in small, over-filled, rubber boats. They hear about these migrants being brought to the UK’s southern coast by the RNLI lifeboats or by Border Force vessels. There have then been many news stories about the 3- and 4-star hotels which have been booked by the Home Office to accommodate the migrants.

What is not generally announced is the number of these illegal migrants who are deported. Today’s Facts4EU report reveals the official data on this important topic of returns.

A major Brexit Facts4EU.Org series
Immigration and the UK's Population Explosion

PART I - 11 million reasons the public won’t let the UK’s politicians off the hook on immigration
PART II - Immigration and ethnicity – employment - age and gender disparities
PART III (This report) - Only 3% of the UK’s small boat illegal migrants have been deported
PART IV - Crime - The shocking data on un-deported foreign national criminals living in the community
PART V - Politicians comment on our reports

We plan to cover all the above topics in the coming days and weeks, in between our reports on newsworthy events.

Facts4EU's work is making the headlines

This series of reports on population and immigration is being covered by GB News.

We supplied an advance copy of today's report to the channel who then covered it in full during the primetime 5.30-6.00pm slot on Martin Daubney’s popular afternoon and early evening show.

All of our information was explored. The only omission was that both the host and the interviewee forgot to mention that all of the work done in researching and publishing this report was initiated and carried out by the Facts4EU.Org team. We will ensure we get full credit next time.

Please, please help us to carry on our vital work in defence of independence, sovereignty, democracy and freedom
by donating today. Thank you.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

After seven years of the small boat migrant crisis,
97% of the illegal entrants remain in the UK

Jan 2018 – Sept 2024

Total illegal boat migrants : 139,589
Total returned : 4,420 (voluntary and enforced)
Total percentage return rate : 3.2%

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2025 - click to enlarge
[Source : Latest Home Office irregular migration statistics, 01 Jan 2018 - 30 Sept 2024.]

How many of these illegal boat migrants have been granted asylum by the Home Office?

Firstly, all the illegal boat migrants came from France, and in previous years a small number from Belgium. Both France and Belgium are designated safe countries. Secondly, these migrants have passed through numerous other EU countries, on their way to the northern coast of France.

All of these other countries are designated as safe, by the United Nations and by the EU. In theory, all of these migrants should have applied for asylum in the first safe country they reached, long before setting off for England across the English Channel.

So how many have been granted some form of asylum by the Home Office?

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Illegal boat migrants granted leave to remain in the UK by the Home Office

Jan 2018 – Sept 2024

Total initial asylum applications : 128,503
Total decided : 77,823
Total granted : 43,464 (55.8% of all decisions)
Total cancelled : 43,648
Total pending : 41,391

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2025 - click to enlarge
[Source : Latest Home Office irregular migration statistics, 01 Jan 2018 - 30 Sept 2024.]

"We've moved from a government of gimmicks to a government of pragmatism, and that means that I'm utterly focused on what I think is the most likely deterrent and effective way of dealing with unlawful migration, and that is to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade.
"Of course it's a problem when we've got people arriving into the UK who are arriving unlawfully across the Channel or any other routes. And of course, every government has the responsibility of making sure our borders are secure.”
- The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer MP, Mon 16 Sept 2024

About these illegal migrants - the age and gender balance

Facts4EU.Org has analysed the latest detailed data from the Home Office’s files which cover the period up until Sept 2024. Today we reveal the official age and gender balance - and the countries of origin - of all those who have crossed the English Channel since 2018 and who have entered the United Kingdom illegally.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

The gender and age balance of these illegal boat migrants

Male (all ages) : 119,434 (85.6%)
Female and unknown (all ages) : 20,155
TOTAL : 139,589 (up to end-Sept 2024)

Of this total of 139,589 illegal boat migrants, 79.6% (111,173) are male and under 40

Where have they come from?

The short answer is that they have all come from France. According to the Home Office the top 10 countries of origin in the first nine months of last year (2024) were :-

Afghanistan : 4,160
Vietnam : 3,132
Iran : 2,948
Syria : 2,895
Eritrea : 1,909
Sudan : 1,767
Iraq : 1,624
Turkey : 1,523
Kuwait : 683
Albania : 497

The above table shows the results for Jan-Sept 2024 - the latest information available. The rankings have changed over time.

Clearly the stand-out countries are Turkey (where many British people holiday), Vietnam (with which the UK has recently concluded a free trade agreement), and Albania (where again many British people holiday). None of the migrants from these countries should be able to claim any form of protection in the UK.

COMING SOON...

In the course of this investigation we also uncovered Home Office data files on foreign nationals in relation to crime. This data includes the numbers imprisoned, those charged and bailed by the Home Office itself and released, the thousands who are subject to deportation but released back into the community, the astonishing delays in official action, the successful appeals against deportation, and much more. We intend to publish all this very disturbing information in our next report.

Observations

In this report we believe we have provided the information people want to know. The Home Office do not present this information themselves and it is a laborious task trying to construct the most important answers from numerous sets of very detailed Home Office data. Insofar as possible we have cross-referenced to ensure our report is accurate. There is more we would like to report on, but unfortunately the Home Office does not collect this.

Naturally, faced with the implied criticism of a report like this, the Home Office's response will be "We don't recognise these numbers." We used to try to get their response to reports but now we don't bother, for that reason.

The Facts4EU team's view is that the information above is deeply troubling. We say this because we have been reporting on illegal immigration for years, and nothing ever seems to improve. The difference now is that the topic of immigration is very much mainstream, thanks to politicians such as Nigel Farage and to news channels such as GB News.

The Government of Sir Keir Starmer and the Official Opposition of Kemi Badenoch will have to recognise the seriousness of the problem and the public's view of it, as Reform UK have done. We remain non-partisan but it is simply the case that Reform's statements on the topic are much more in keeping with public opinion.

COMING UP....

Don't miss our next report on a related matter. In Part IV of this 'Population & Immigration' series, we will reveal shocking information on foreign nationals in the United Kingdom. Once again we can bring this to readers thanks to painstaking research uncovering detailed data not normally seen by the public.

Please, please help us to carry on our vital work in defence of independence, sovereignty, democracy and freedom by donating today. Thank you.

[ Sources: UK Home Office official data files ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Tues 11 Feb 2025

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Reader Comments 11

1. Sparky , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 06:46:

From FullFact re applying for asylum in first safe country, “The UN Refugee Convention does not make this requirement of refugees, and UK case law supports this interpretation. Refugees can legitimately make a claim for asylum in the UK after passing through other “safe” countries.”
.
The isolationist, “were an island” approach will not work, this will only be resolved by working at the source of the issue and some of these sources are countries where we have been involved and left a terrible legacy.

2. Carlo Guli , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 08:26:

I'm sick and tired of hearing the argument that there "are countries where we have been involved and left a terrible legacy". This is the blind man, one sided brain approach of people that refuse to realise that on balance the British have brought more prosperity and opportunities to the countries they have been involved with, than anything else.
Besides, we are not talking about asylum seekers here. Most of them are economic migrants. They should do the right thing for their own countries, and stay there and work for their advancement and prosperity, instead of fleeing the cost of doing so by taking the shortcut to go and take advantage of the hard work of people from other countries, where they have no right to be when they get there in breach of the laws of said countries.
Some of these illegal are potentially soldiers sent over here to wage a cultural war. Britain has been sold out by a governing elite that cares not about preserving the traditions of the British people, nor their safety, but work to advance their very own globalist agenda ignoring and even condemnig protestations that this trashes the laws of this country.
International law keeps being written outside the scrutiny of national parliaments, and cannot be used as an excuse to trash domestic laws.

3. terence patrick hewett , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 08:55:

The longer it takes in the UK, for sanity to displace the religious fanaticism of EU socialism, the more violent the solution will be. And it will be extremely violent: do not deceive yourselves that it will be anything else.

4. Old Albion , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 09:19:

I read yesterday; Between 2021 -2024 under the last Conservative Gov. 3 million immigrants were granted visas.
Now as much as i despise Starmer and his hideous gang of anti-English lying money thieves. The huge immigration problem extends way beyond those arriving illegally. The whole ability to immigrate here uninvited has to end.

5. LuxuryBalloon , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 10:46:

Small boat arrivals make up a tiny percentage of the overall numbers of new arrivals.

6. NH , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 12:04:

1. Sp.
You seem to have an incredible talent for completely missing the point. This report is about why so few of the illegal migrants have been deported after 7 years when so many come from safe countries and a significant number of asylum claims are rejected. You seem to be responding to a completely different report.
.
The UK Government can do many things to reduce the "UK pull factor" such as aligning the UK benefit system for migrants with the French benefit system. Most of us know that this is one policy that will not be on Kier Starmer's "closer alignment with EU" list of priorities. All the evidence so far shows that Kier is unwilling to deter illiegal migrant crossings and he is willing to charge what ever it costs to the British public.

7. Sparky , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 14:36:

6 NH. The headline here is Macrons Migrants which is not true, just pointless anti EU anti France rhetoric.
.
Bit sceptical about the figures but the Home Office announced yesterday “Nearly 19,000 failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders have been returned since the election to countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America following a major escalation in immigration enforcement by the Home Office.”
.
2 CG. You might be sick of it but look at the countries, Afghanistan is the largest source.

8. NH , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 18:40:

7. SP
To take to the sea in a motor boat in France you need a "coastal license" to comply with the law. So either France is issuing coastal licenses to non resident migrants or it's refusing to enforce it's own laws.
.
According to "full fact" the Governments statements on these returns, unlike media statements, are very vague. They suggest that very few of these were failed asylum seekers. It may also be that many of these were people who received payments to return to their home country.

9. Gazzablack , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 19:27:

7, sparkless
.
You may not like this Hiroo, but 8 of the top 10 weren't the result of UK military action.

10. LuxuryBalloon , Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 21:18:

Focussing on the small boat illegal immigrants (40,000 in 2024) is easier I suppose than focussing on the 1,200,000 immigrants who entered the UK legally. It is much better to get your knickers in a twist about the arrangements of the deckchairs on the Titanic than get concerned about the iceberg.

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