The Home Office today (9th September) issued a press release titled, ‘For the first time, small boat migrants arriving in the UK face being detained and returned to France’. Promising title – but is it true?
Hardly. In fact, the press release buries the real story – that the vast majority of these returns are voluntary.
Returns for the year ending June 2025
| Return type | Number | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voluntary | 26,761 | 65 | |
| Enforced | 9,100 | 22 | |
| Foreign national offenders | 5,300 | 13 | |
| Total | 41,161 | 100 |
Table: Migration WatchSource: Home OfficeGet the dataEmbed Download imageCreated with Datawrapper
The government wants you to think it’s being tough.
“The message to the criminal people-smugglers is clear: we will end your vile trade,” it reads. But if the bulk of those returning are voluntary, are these people really arriving via smuggling? Are they so desperate to spend £2,500 to cross the Channel only to then hold their hands up, admit to being caught, and then willingly turn back?
Returns for the year ending June 2025
Voluntary
Enforced
Foreign
national offenders
Voluntary
65.02%
Enforced
22.11%
Foreign national
offenders
12.88%
Chart: Migration WatchSource: Home OfficeGet the dataEmbed Download imageCreated with Datawrapper
This is not a new development; for a long time, voluntary returns have outpaced enforced returns (since 2007), which is itself an indictment of our border security, but has taken on a particularly alarming dimension when you remember that the small boats crisis has seen over 180,000 arrivals in seven years.
Time series of returns 2004 – 2024, voluntary and enforced
2004200620082010201220142016201820202022202405,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00019,37213,87415,13411,7412,78831,76231,69428,474Enforced20223,806Enforced20223,806
Enforced
9,072
Voluntary
26,761
Chart: Migration WatchSource: Home OfficeGet the dataEmbed Download imageCreated with Datawrapper
Time series of returns 2004 – 2024, voluntary and enforced
2004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Enforced
21,425
Voluntary
3,566
Chart: Migration WatchSource: Home OfficeGet the dataEmbed Download imageCreated with Datawrapper
And what about the Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) that the government is proud of returning?
Time series of returns 2010 – 2024, foreign national offenders
20102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202401,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,000
Foreign national offenders, total
5,097
Chart: Migration WatchSource: Home OfficeGet the dataEmbed Download imageCreated with Datawrapper
Not only is the government failing to return to the pre-Covid levels of over 6,000 FNOs deported each year, it is failing to put a dent into the actual FNO prison population.
Time series of FNO population (2015 – 2024), in prison and returned
201520162017201820192020202120222023202402,0004,0006,0008,00010,00010,14310,0929,3589,3279,52410,0859,99310,6706,4376,2925,5185,1282,9442,7063,0644,0386,024FNOs deported20223,064FNOs deported20223,064
FNOs in prison
10,860
FNOs deported
5,097
Chart: Migration WatchSource: Home OfficeGet the dataEmbed Download imageCreated with Datawrapper
Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch, says:
The government can boast all it likes but two-thirds of removals, by their own admission are voluntary. The reality is, as the record numbers crossing the Channel in recent days have shown, Keir Starmer’s policies are attracting not deterring. Thousands will continue coming knowing that once they are here, it is highly unlikely they will ever be deported. Get a grip Sir Keir.
So, when the government’s press release asks the question, ‘What is the government doing to tackle illegal immigration?’ – the answer speaks for itself. Not enough.
