Channel boat migrants are being waved on to British soil without strict security checks when they disembark, a Daily Mail investigation can reveal.

In a glaring lapse, hundreds of migrants arriving illegally on the Kent coast from France in the past month have been whisked through less than half an hour after stepping ashore.

Our investigation has found a lack of rigorous vetting by Border Force and the intelligence services which is designed to weed out suspected foreign criminals or potential terrorists coming in on trafficking gangs’ boats.

The Home Office has temporarily switched the Kent arrival port for boat migrants from Dover to Ramsgate, 20 miles away, opening what whistleblowers have suggested is a ‘dangerous’ gap in security.

The Daily Mail timed the movement of migrants who arrived in Ramsgate after being picked up mid-Channel by the Border Force vessels Typhoon, Defender and Volunteer since the beginning of February.

From there, hired coaches take them three miles to a processing centre in Manston.

On Tuesday, the time between their disembarkation from Typhoon to arrival at the Manston camp was 38 minutes.

The migrants were at the port, where they handed in their lifejackets, for 27 minutes before being let into the UK. They were given fresh clothes, medical wipes, a check for weaponry with a hand scanner and were then packed off to Manston.

Channel boat migrants (pictured on Wednesday) are being waved on to British soil without strict security checks when they disembark, a Daily Mail investigation can reveal
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Channel boat migrants (pictured on Wednesday) are being waved on to British soil without strict security checks when they disembark, a Daily Mail investigation can reveal

Migrants disembark from a Border Force vessel in Ramsgate port on February 25, 2026
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Migrants disembark from a Border Force vessel in Ramsgate port on February 25, 2026

Videos posted online show migrants arriving by boats to the UK
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Videos posted online show migrants arriving by boats to the UK
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Videos posted online show migrants arriving by boats to the UK

On February 9, Defender brought in migrants at 9.50am. At 10.20am they left the port, arriving 13 minutes later at Manston processing centre – a total of 43 minutes.

The Volunteer berthed later that day, with migrants disembarking at 10.58am, before leaving on a coach 24 minutes later and arriving in Manston at 11.42am – 44 minutes in total.

The new arrivals at the camp, almost all illegal entrants, stay for up to three days for fingerprinting, identification and security interviews.

The interviews, we were told by those recently arrived, can last for just 45 minutes.

They are then sent to migrant hotels or Home Office properties around the country.

Manston is said by the Home Office to be a secure camp. But a whistleblower warned: ‘We know of cases where migrants have disappeared, been picked up by relatives and even visited the local McDonald’s. It is not a prison, nor meant to be.’

By contrast, those at Dover got dry clothes, were screened for illnesses and faced questions about their identity, according to the Home Office – a process that could take each contingent hours before they were taken to Manston.

It was designed to root out those with knives, guns, criminal records, or links to terrorism.

A whistleblower said: ‘Many were undocumented, completely anonymous. They often throw away their passports in France or during their journey. No one really knows who they are or what their intentions might be. It is potentially hazardous.’

People rescued during attempts to cross the English Channel by small boat are temporarily being processed through the port in Ramsgate
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People rescued during attempts to cross the English Channel by small boat are temporarily being processed through the port in Ramsgate

Migrants can be seen travelling by small boat across the English channel
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Migrants can be seen travelling by small boat across the English channel

After being processed they are then sent to migrant hotels or Home Office properties around the country
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After being processed they are then sent to migrant hotels or Home Office properties around the country

Some 74 migrants arrived in Ramsgate on Tuesday, the first since February 9, bringing the total this year to 1,604
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Some 74 migrants arrived in Ramsgate on Tuesday, the first since February 9, bringing the total this year to 1,604

The Home Office has temporarily switched the Kent arrival port for boat migrants from Dover to Ramsgate, 20 miles away, opening what whistleblowers have suggested is a 'dangerous' gap in security
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The Home Office has temporarily switched the Kent arrival port for boat migrants from Dover to Ramsgate, 20 miles away, opening what whistleblowers have suggested is a ‘dangerous’ gap in security

Yesterday at 6.30am the Border Force vessel Ranger brought in a group who had set off from France soon after midnight. Following brief checks, they left Ramsgate on a coach less than half an hour later. There were no security interviews.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘The Government must ensure proper checks are done on all these illegal immigrants.

‘We have no idea who they are or where they come from. They are mostly young men. Many commit sexual offences and crimes in the UK.’

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, said: ‘Every individual arriving illegally must be immediately detained and deported. Anything less puts public safety at risk.’

The Home Office said: ‘Security‑check processes have not been affected by this temporary relocation, and all arrivals continue to be processed in the usual way.’

Some 74 migrants arrived in Ramsgate on Tuesday, the first since February 9, bringing the total this year to 1,604.

Yesterday, more than 400 arrived in the busiest Channel crossing this year, according to estimates, which would push the total since January 1 over 2,000.