According to stark Government figures, only 215 migrants who crossed the English Channel in small boats last year were deported from the UK.
The low figure comes after a year in which a record 45,728 asylum seekers attempted to enter the country through the Dover Strait.
Ministers have promised tough action against those who enter the UK illegally for more than a year, promising that they will be deported without the right to return.
However, new data obtained through a Freedom of Information request show that only 0.47 percent of those who crossed the Channel illegally in 2022 were returned.
Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover, said that the Government’s failure to gain control of the situation meant that ministerial threats had little effect on deterring migrants.
She warned Home Secretary Suella Braverman that illegal border crossings needed to “get a grip.”
According to the Conservative backbencher: “The number of Channel migrants deported or returned is so low that it is ineffective as a deterrent.
“That is why it is critical to prevent boats from leaving France in the first place, and migrants picked up in the Channel should be returned to France immediately.
“The Home Office needs to get a handle on their processing in order to deport people as soon as possible.”
One of Prime Minister Rishi Sinks’ top five priorities is “stopping the boats.”
In January, he promised to reduce the number of people entering the country illegally, as well as to halve inflation by 2023, grow the economy, reduce national debt, and reduce NHS waiting lists.