Many illegal immigrants die while crossing the border through the English Channel.

Strict immigration regulations have forced immigrants to use dangerous means to enter the U.K resulting in many of them getting killed in the process.

In recent years, there has been a surge in an immigrant influx into the U.K. via the English channel. Most of these immigrants, allegedly fleeing war or persecution in their home countries, use small boats to enter the U.K. illegally. In 2019, around 39 Vietnamese immigrants were found dead in the back of a lorry in Essex due to a lack of oxygen. These immigrants had been smuggled into the U.K. through the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, which is commonly used as a smuggling route. This led to a huge political debate where people questioned the security measures in the British ports while the others pointed out the mistreatment of foreign immigrants seeking asylum on British soil.

A Home Office statement from December 2019 stated that migrants crossing the English channel were putting the lives in grave danger as the smugglers facilitating their travel did not care about the immigrants' lives. In June 2020 alone, at least 2000 people, including boats with only children had crossed over from Europe to the U.K. A Home Affairs committee headed by Labour MP Yvette Cooper is investigating this recent surge in migrant influx. Further, U.K.'s Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has sought the help of the Royal Navy in turning back the immigrants attempting to enter the U.K. Ms. Patel has also contacted the French government, asking for their support to tackle the crisis.

Most of the immigrants are from the Middle East and Africa who flee their homes due to the violence and war out of fear that they might be persecuted in their countries. Some of them pay a lot of money to smugglers to get their families away from this violence and find a new home. With some strict regulations in both the E.U. and the U.K., these migrants risk their lives to enter other countries illegally. Many of them even get killed in the dangerous journey while trying to evade the patrolling vessels and immigration authorities.