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As the United Kingdom raised its national terror threat level to “severe,” meaning an attack is considered “highly likely,” security experts are warning that Britain’s separate illegal migration crisis is adding to broader concerns over border control and vetting, with small boat crossings now nearing 200,000 arrivals since 2018.
The U.K.’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Center raised the national threat level from “substantial” to “severe” last week following a stabbing attack in Golders Green in North London, warning that the broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terror threat in Britain has been increasing “for some time.”
At the same time, official figures cited by GB News and The Sun show small boat arrivals across the English Channel are approaching the 200,000 mark, intensifying political debate over illegal immigration, deportations and national security.
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A small boat carrying migrants heads into the English Channel near Gravelines, France, on July 2, 2025. The boat was full of migrants who boarded further down the coast. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, said in a Facebook video Tuesday that “most of them are unidentified, young males of fighting age” and warned the crossings pose “a risk not only to women and girls in this country but a risk to our national security.”
Security analysts say the combination of elevated terror concerns and mass illegal migration is adding pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to demonstrate greater control over Britain’s borders.
“Channel migrants pose a potential security threat,” Dr. Michael McManus, director of research at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.
“Minimal vetting of the migrants means we have no way to know who is really coming to the country. The vast majority are combat-aged males from war zones and regions associated with terrorism.”
McManus added that “the current government is failing to read the mood in the country, which overwhelmingly wants action to deter and deport those who pose a threat.”
Police officers block protesters as trouble flares during an anti-immigration demonstration outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, England, Sunday Aug. 4, 2024. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP) (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)
“So long as the immigration system fails to deter crossings, and the system makes deportation almost impossible, we will only see more,” he said.
7,612 migrants have been deported or removed since the crisis began, representing less than 4% of total arrivals, according to The Sun.
The debate intensified this week after British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined plans to expand “safe and legal” refugee pathways once the government regains greater control over the asylum system, according to GB News reporting.
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Migrants packed tightly on a small inflatable boat bail water as they attempt to cross the English Channel near the Dover Strait off the coast of Dover, England, on Sept. 7, 2020. More than 400 migrants made the journey from France to England by sea last Wednesday, either intercepted by UK border forces or arriving on shore in small boats. (Luke Dray/Getty Images)
Speaking to GB News, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden defended the government’s broader migration policy and said Mahmood was doing a “very good job.”
“We want to make sure that it’s a level that is good for the economy, that can be absorbed by the country, and that is done under proper rules,” McFadden said.
The Home Office has argued the government is increasing enforcement efforts against trafficking gangs and strengthening cooperation with France. A Home Office spokesperson said that the government had signed a “landmark new deal” with France aimed at boosting enforcement operations on beaches and disrupting smuggling routes.
Police officers face protesters during an anti-immigration demonstration outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, England, Sunday Aug. 4, 2024. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP) (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)
The crossings themselves remain dangerous. Over the weekend, two Sudanese women reportedly died attempting to cross the Channel after a boat carrying dozens of migrants encountered problems off the French coast, according to British media reports.
According to the Refugee Council, many of those arriving by small boat originate from countries experiencing war, persecution or political instability, including Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Iran and Sudan. The group says the vast majority of small-boat arrivals go on to apply for asylum in the UK.
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A small boat carrying migrants heads into the English Channel near Gravelines, France, on July 2, 2025. The boat was already full when it picked up more migrants further down the coast. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The small boat crisis first escalated in 2018 after tighter security reduced attempts to enter Britain hidden in trucks and ferries. Since then, the crossings have become one of the most politically explosive issues in British politics, fueling growing pressure on both Labour and Conservative leaders to demonstrate control over the border.
Michael McManus, Director of Research, Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that, “The current government is failing to read the mood in the country, which overwhelmingly wants action to deter and deport those who pose a threat. So long as the immigration system fails to deter crossings, and the system makes deportation almost impossible we will only see more.”