New offence to target online posts for small-boat Channel crossings
By: | Published: 2025-08-02 21:39:00 | Source: www.bbc.com
People advertising illegal Channel crossings online could face up to five years in prison under a new offence the government plans to introduce.
The offence, which the government is seeking to create under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill currently going through Parliament, would form part of a crackdown on the number of migrants coming to the UK on small boats.
Assisting illegal immigration to the UK is already a crime, but officials believe the offence would give police and other agencies more power to disrupt criminal gangs.
Figures out last week showed more than 25,000 migrants have arrived in the UK via small boats in 2025 so far, a record for this point in the year.
The new UK-wide offence would criminalise the creation of material for publication online, which…