Where the uk's small boat arrivals are coming from

Their most common origin was Albania – deemed a “safe, prosperous country” by Mr Sunak – the nationality on file for 12,094 migrants, just over a quarter of the total (26.9 percent). The

Government brokered a returns deal with the Mediterranean nation in December, one Mr Sunak in March claimed was “already delivering”. Just 28 Albanian migrants landed on UK shores in the

first three months of this year, down from 1,098 in the last three months of 2022. In second place came Afghanistan, with 8,429. Since shortly after the Taliban takeover of the country in

August 2021, the UK has operated legal resettlement schemes for those who aided military operations during the war, through which the Home Office expects to take in around 25,000 people.

Many more, however, are fleeing the regime. In third was Iran (5,450), followed by Iraq (4,041) and Syria (2,596). The vast majority of arrivals are male – to the tune of 83.3 percent. This

tends to be the norm across Europe. Organisations working with asylum seekers say this is because the journey is incredibly dangerous, and families send an able-bodied man first who is then

better placed to get his wife and children over through regular channels. People trafficking, sexual abuse, exploitation and violence are far more prevalent concerns for female refugees. The

most common age group consisted of those between 25 and 39, accounting for 38.3 percent of the total. A further 34.8 percent were between 18 and 24. There were 6,940 children under the age

of 17, equivalent to 15.4 percent. Dividing by age and gender reveals some striking differences. For women, children were the second-most likely age group (29.7 percent), while for men it

was 18 to 24s (39 percent). In many war-torn countries, young men are primary targets for recruitment by radical groups like ISIS or the Taliban, and are often killed for opposing them. Many

run away from their homes and families to avoid this fate. Government ministers are expected to push Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s Illegal Migration Bill through the House on Tuesday,

by overturning 15 of the amendments made by the Lords and making concessions on five others. First introduced in March, its purpose is to “prevent and deter unlawful migration, and in

particular migration by unsafe and illegal routes, by requiring the removal from the United Kingdom of certain persons” who arrive “in breach of immigration control.” Ministers are said to

be offering concessions on measures relating to the detention of children, pregnant women, modern slavery claims, trafficking and the retrospective application of the bill. There were 3,860

deportations in 2022, 46 percent less than the 7,198 in 2019, prior to the pandemic. The number of people entering immigration detention in the year to March 2023 also fell 20 percent to

20,416 on the previous year.