More than 1,000 people have been convicted of "illegally arriving" in the United Kingdom, for the period July 2022 to January 2026. Additionally, 10 people were convicted for endangering others under a new law that came into force on January 5 2026.
More than 1,000 people have been convicted of "illegally arriving in the United Kingdom, for the period July 2022 to January 2026, the British newspaper The Guardian reported yesterday (August 5).
Data obtained from the Home Office through a Freedom of Information Act filed by criminologist Victoria Taylor indicated the following during the timeframe July 2022 to January 2026:
- 1,109 people were prosecuted for illegal arrival
- 628 arrived on a small boat, 296 of whom were shown as steering a dinghy based on surveillance drone footage steering a dinghy
In response to the report, a representative from the UK Home Office told InfoMigrants that the FOI data does not include other arrests made by law enforcement tackling organized crime, which means that the number of arrests could actually be higher.
"Arrests, charges and convictions in a given period do not relate to the same cohort and should not be directly compared," said the Home Office.
The spokesperson also clarified that the number of individuals arrested, charged and convicted during a date range may not necessarily be the same cohort of individuals appearing in each.
"Someone charged or convicted in each date range may have been arrested in a previous time-period, and someone arrested in each date range may remain under investigation and not be charged and convicted until a later date. Furthermore, an individual may have been arrested, charged and convicted of multiple offenses," said the Home Office Representative, adding that FOI data is provisional and may change.
The Home Office introduced the offense of illegal arrival in 2022 to deter irregular arrivals into the UK via small boat or lorry.
An analysis by Vicky Taylor from the Faculty of Law at Oxford University indicated that as a result of the 2022 law, over 600 people have been arrested, charged, and convicted of 'illegal arrival' after arriving on a ‘small boat’ since June 28, 2022.
This is much lower than the total number of people crossing the Channel, with most targeted for having their "hand on the tiller," or for having a "previous immigration history" in the UK, Taylor wrote.
The "Illegal arrival/entry" law was added to the Immigration Act 1971 as part of the Nationality and Borders Act of 2022, under the previous Conservative government. It penalizes a person who has "knowingly arrived in the UK without required entry clearance, or knowingly entered without leave."
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Endangering the lives of others
In addition, the UK also passed the Offense of Endangering Another During a Journey by Sea earlier this year as part of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025.
According to the law, endangering the lives of others is defined as a crime for sea journeys that started in France, Belgium or the Netherlands, where the person performed an act creating a risk of death or serious injury to another.
In a statement issued last week, Crown Protection Services said that 10 people had now been convicted of endangering others. The 10 who were convicted include Omar, a 34-year-old Afghan national who had arrived on June 23, with 95 others. He reportedly pleaded guilty and will be jailed for 24 months. Another was Manas D., 18, from Sudan who pleaded guilty on July 27. He arrived on June 21, onboard a boat with 82 others including 13 children. Manas D. was sentenced to 18 months and is the 10th person to be sentenced.
"Endangerment is a crime....that makes it an offense to do an act that caused or created a risk of the death or serious personal injury of others during a water crossing to the UK from France, Belgium or the Netherlands," the CPS said in a statement.
The offense carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. For those in breach of a deportation order, the maximum sentence rises to six years.
According to The Guardian report, some of those convicted of the various offenses were also survivors of torture and trafficking, and there were at least 30 age disputed children among them, 19 of whom had spent time in adult prisons.
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