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Victoria Derbyshire Speaks to Migrants Risking It All to Reach the UK in Small Boats
English Channel – July 2025 — In a powerful and emotional special report, veteran BBC journalist Victoria Derbyshire has once again brought the nation face-to-face with the human cost of the migrant crisis gripping the English Channel. Embedded with rescue teams and translators, Derbyshire spoke directly to migrants who had risked their lives crossing in small, overcrowded dinghies to reach the shores of the UK.
Her report aired just days after the Home Office confirmed a record 1,243 people made the crossing in a single day, despite heightened patrols and deteriorating weather conditions.
“We Had No Choice”
Among those Derbyshire spoke to was Ahmed, a 27-year-old Kurdish man from Iraq, who had travelled through Turkey, Greece, Italy, and France with his wife and two small children. Cradling his exhausted five-year-old daughter, he told Derbyshire: “We had no choice. There is no future back home. Militias, no jobs, danger every day. We are not criminals. We just want peace.”
Another young man, Jamal from Sudan, described the terror of crossing the Channel. “The boat was leaking, people were screaming, water was coming in… we thought we were going to die,” he said. “But we believed we might have a better life in the UK.”
Dangerous Waters and Growing Risks
The journey across the Channel has become one of the most perilous migrant routes in the world. Despite a joint UK-France agreement to increase coastal patrols, smugglers continue to operate brazenly, charging desperate migrants thousands of pounds to board unsafe boats under cover of darkness.
Derbyshire also spoke with members of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), who regularly pull drowning victims from the sea. “We’re seeing more families, more children,” one RNLI volunteer told her. “They don’t understand how dangerous it is. These boats are not seaworthy.”
Politics vs Humanity
The UK government has come under mounting pressure over its handling of Channel crossings. The Rwanda deportation plan, delays in processing asylum claims, and the militarisation of border enforcement have all drawn criticism from human rights groups.
Victoria Derbyshire asked several migrants if they were aware of the UK’s recent tough immigration rhetoric. Most said they were, but felt they had no better options. “We heard about Rwanda,” said Amina, a teacher from Afghanistan. “But we would rather take the risk of being sent away than stay where death is certain.”
“People Are Not Numbers”
Derbyshire’s report cuts through the political noise to highlight a simple truth: behind the statistics are real people, with dreams, trauma, and an unwavering hope for a better life.
Closing her piece, Derbyshire remarked: “These are not just illegal crossings. These are stories of survival. Whether or not you agree with the policy, it is impossible to ignore the humanity.”
Attached is a news article regarding Victoria Derbyshire speaking to migrants who cross in small boats to reach the uk
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04pwbrw
Article written and configured by Christopher Stanley
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