More than 1,100 people, including survivors of torture and trafficking, have been convicted of illegally arriving in the UK since 2022, according to freedom of information data. The offence was introduced in 2022 to deter people planning to come to the UK by small boat or by other irregular means such as lorries.
The move was widely condemned at the time because the refugee convention says that those seeking sanctuary should not be criminalised for the way they travel, as they often do not have the option to move legally from an unsafe country to a safe one.
Freedom of information data obtained from the by the criminologist Dr Victoria Taylor, a research fellow at the University of Manchester, shows that 1,109 people were prosecuted for illegal arrival between July 2022 and January 2026.
How many people were prosecuted for arriving irregularly?
The data shows that 628 of those prosecuted arrived on a small boat, and 296 of them were captured on surveillance drone footage steering a dinghy. Others had previous immigration history in the UK.
Just 12 people have been convicted of the separate offence of facilitation, after steering the dinghies they arrived on. It is harder for the Home Office and Crown Prosecution Service to secure evidence that people on a dinghy were involved in organising a journey across the Channel than to prosecute them for illegal arrival.
People have been identified as having their “hand on the tiller” for many reasons, including having boating experience, steering in return for discounted passage, taking it in turns, or being under duress.
What happened in the trafficking case?
In one illegal arrival case, the Home Office settled a judicial review relating to a trafficking survivor from who was forced at gunpoint to pilot a small boat. Officials have now agreed to ensure greater protection for trafficking victims in these cases.
“Unfortunately it is clear from our client’s case that potential victims of trafficking are regularly being convicted for illegal arrival and imprisoned for many months. The concessions made in our client’s case underline the need for a robust and consistent application of the UK’s modern slavery framework to prevent survivors of trafficking from being wrongly treated as criminals.”
Emily Soothill, partner at Deighton Pierce Glynn, who represented the man, made the remarks in response to the case.
Who else has been affected?
Some of those convicted of the various offences were 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.
The organisation Captain Support UK has worked with hundreds of people imprisoned in illegal arrival cases, all of whom sought in the UK in the hours before they were arrested.
“We see first-hand the negative impact these prosecutions have on people and their families. We urgently call on the government to stop imprisoning people on the move. No one should be put in prison for seeking safety and a better life.”
A spokesperson for the organisation said the impact on people and their families has been severe.
Why are campaigners questioning the policy?
Dr Victoria Taylor said the process of who is selected for prosecution is arbitrary and cruel.
“The process of who is selected for prosecution is arbitrary and cruel.”
She added that most of those imprisoned for illegal arrival since 2022 had claimed asylum in the hours before they were arrested. Many have been granted asylum since their release or have been recognised as victims of trafficking, or both.
“There are serious questions about the compatibility of these prosecutions with the refugee convention, which was drafted to prevent states from penalising refugees for how they seek safety. There is no evidence to support the government’s claims that these prosecutions will ‘deter’ people from attempting to cross the Channel,” Taylor said.
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
Key Facts
- 1,109 people were prosecuted for illegal arrival between July 2022 and January 2026.
- 628 of those prosecuted arrived on a small boat, and 296 were captured steering a dinghy on surveillance drone footage.
- Just 12 people have been convicted of the separate offence of facilitation.
- At least 30 age disputed children were among those convicted, and 19 spent time in adult prisons.
- Many convicted people claimed asylum in the hours before arrest, and some were later granted asylum or recognised as trafficking victims.
