Fury as just 215 of 45,000 Channel migrants have been deported from Britain

JUST 215 of the 45,728 migrants who crossed the Channel by small boat last year were removed from the country.

And just seven of those who were found to be criminals were deported by the Home Office.

According to Government figures, 2022 saw record numbers cross the Dover Strait — 1,104 boats, with an average of 41 migrants in each.

But of the huge numbers intercepted in the Channel last year, just 215 were removed or deported, according to data obtained from the Home Office through a Freedom of Information request.

This equates to 0.47 per cent of the total — less than five in every 1,000.

Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover, said the deportation and removal figures are “so low” they no longer act as a deterrent to migrants. 

She urged Home Secretary Suella Braverman to ensure civil servants “got a grip” on processing new arrivals.

Ms Elphicke said: “The number of Channel migrants who are deported or returned is so low it’s not serving as a deterrent.

“That’s why it is vital to stop the boats leaving France in the first place — and migrants picked up in the Channel should be immediately returned to France.

“The Home Office needs to get a grip on their processing to deport without delay.”

A source at Dover said: “The situation is getting worse, not better. It’s a complete mess.”

Figures show asylum applications are now taking longer to process than ever.

Of the backlog cases in December 2022, two-thirds had been waiting over six months — up from 44 per cent in December 2017.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The significant increase in dangerous and illegal journeys into this country puts great pressure on the asylum system, slowing down the processing of individual cases who could face deportation or removal.

“The Illegal Migration Bill will stop the boats and ensure those arriving illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.”