DESPITE what this inept and impotent Labour government will tell you, illegal economic migrants (to describe them as ‘irregular’ is a total misnomer, since they ‘regularly’ arrive here) continue to enter the UK via the Kent, Sussex and Essex coast. Meanwhile, as the Tories did before, the Labour government continue to lie about and obfuscate the actual figures arriving. Yes, they are head counting those being disembarked at Dover docks. But they are not, however, acknowledging the regular sightings by locals on the Kent coast of those coming in by the ‘back door’.
Many people think illegal landings occur only by ‘water taxi’, via the RNLI and Border Force, but this is a fallacy. Dinghy-loads of illegal migrant men are regularly seen around Dungeness in Kent, and on other stretches of the 440 miles of Kent and Sussex coastline, much of which is remote. And yet these invaders (let’s call them what they are, for they will attempt if possible to come in under the radar, and they also dispose of their identity papers whilst crossing) have the effrontery to enter quite openly, even near to the houses that dot the coast. They then proceed to run across gardens and fields, many to pre-arranged (by GPS) waiting vehicles, usually driven by ‘associates’ already installed here.
Dungeness, where in recent years I have taken many photos of illegal migrant landings, is an amazing area comprising 12 square miles of deserted cuspate foreland – the open country around it affording cover and a good escape route for migrants entering by this back door.
Landings by lifeboat here have become infrequent; stopped by the authorities in 2023 because of the presence of a number of citizens and freelance and Press Association journalists. The inept Tory government didn’t want them recorded. Nowadays, these occur only in extenuating circumstances, for example if someone on board is suffering from hypothermia, Dungeness being the nearest landfall for an ambulance. The fact, however, that it is a beach and Crown Property has meant people line me could carry on legally filming the unaccompanied landings of non-taxied individuals coming ashore illegally.
On these occasions, often overnight or in the early hours of the morning, most present were local people, like me. A number of us have access to marine traffic apps and gadgetry that can monitor transponder messages between lifeboats and Border Force, and so we knew when a landing was imminent. we have watched how, without the aid of Border Force or the RNLI, these illegals arriving by stealth and disappear unmonitored into the Kent and Sussex landscapes. It is a recurring problem – their dinghies float back into the Channel on the outgoing tide, causing danger and nuisance to other Channel traffic.
Besides being a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Dungeness is home to a large power station in the process of being decommissioned, an airport, and an Army firing range – three obviously major security risks, all of them having been compromised in the past. For example, during a raid on the airport in August 2023 ‘crucial evidence about people-smuggling operations in the Channel was stolen’.
Back in October 2020 at nearby Lydd Ranges a powerful nine-metre speedboat made landfall on the MoD beach in the middle of a target-practice session, which had to be halted.
The following photographs, all taken by me, depict the general demeanour of migrant men when they arrive in the ‘Land of Plenty’, clad in their designer gear and armed with new mobile phones and new SIM cards programmed with lists of freebies available to them – and where to get them!
You will notice in these images a distinct lack of women and children, although we do see them occasionally; the children are often screaming in fear, and I witnessed one particular horror of a toddler who came in on a lifeboat full of men, none of whom were related to him – his screams and the terror on his little face will live with me forever.
Take time to look closely at these pictures – I leave it to you to decide whether these individuals are from war-torn or famine-stricken countries – also whether they deserve to be fed, clothed and housed by the British taxpayer whilst our elderly freeze in their homes and ex-servicemen lay their heads for the night in shop doorways.
August 2022
This is of Katie Sweetingham, a Care4Calais volunteer handing out bulk-bought tracksuits to the new arrivals, who are mostly clad in designer clothing from North Face, Gucci and Prada. She once told a French newspaper, ‘Obviously, it’s my priority to supervise them even before their arrival, to make them disappear from the sight of citizens and the media.’ (use Google Translate)
August 2022
A French SIM-card frame discarded by a migrant. Supplied by charities in Calais with new SIM cards, pre-programmed with details of where to get benefits (and often new phones), migrants discard old SIM cards overboard during crossings, along with old smartphones, because they are likely to contain incriminating information about their journeys. Some wash up on the shore.
March 2020
The sparse landscape of Dungeness with the power station and old lighthouse in the distance, perfect landmarks for those wishing to enter ‘under the radar’. Dungeness is about 21 miles from Cap Gris-Nez in Northern France.
October 2023
An arrival at Dungeness showing all-male passengers.
October 2023
A young girl (employed by a security company) passes by, provoking a reaction from the all-male illegal incomers. On this particular day only she, another girl colleague and one man were present. There were no police there to make arrests. The two girls were instructed to go to the men and ask them if they were carrying knives, scissors, or other weapons. I witnessed this.
October 2023
Smiling faces of men safe in the expectation of warm beds and three meals a day plus extra spending money. No sign of destitution, hunger, or illness – and no sign of the gratitude or humility shown by genuine refugees – which refugees should surely include women and children.
October 2023
As early as 2019 these posters had become evident around the area, although they are not seen so much now, despite the coast still being an open target for illegal incomers.
Around 4.30am in June 2022
The boat has to be trailered up the sloping beach as the tide is out.
May 2022:
This is a landing in the early hours. This time children were evident. Highly dangerous by day and worse by night in poor visibility, given large vessels are active around the clock. Recently a two-year-old was trampled to death in a dinghy during a night crossing. Several children have died during crossings – possibly some we don’t know about.
May 2022
The illegal migrants are shown here in their waterproofs (which I believe are reused) issued – I was told by a Border Force officer – by the government. Even before the migrants set foot on dry land, this whole exercise has cost thousands of pounds and, sometimes, lives.
October 2023:
Migrant men, arrogance evident on their faces, as they pass me to board the air-conditioned coach hired to ferry them to the processing centre and thence to hotel accommodation. I am not sure what the gesture on the right means, but they have been seen giving the one-fingered ISIS salute.
May 2022:
A young migrant man sporting Gucci jeans (which, my research revealed, cost £660 a pair).
I rest my case.
All images are the copyright of Kim Rye
