Migrants have created and spread video tutorials on how to smuggle oneself into Britain via social media platforms, British media reported earlier this month.
In videos originally posted and later deleted on TikTok, migrants are seen running and jumping onto moving trucks, a practice that has sparked controversy and raised fears for the safety of those who attempt to do so.
Multiple migrant deaths stemming from this method have been recorded in recent years, including cases in which migrants were crushed to death by metal bars inside the truck, with others falling from the vehicles carrying them, leading to injury or death.
According to asylum charities, this method is preferred among those who can’t afford boat smuggling fees. While crossing the English Channel by boat is generally considered safer, prices range in the thousands of dollars, and increased border police checks make this method difficult and more prone to being caught.
Mohamed, a Sudanese migrant, told InfoMigrants, a refugee-news site, that crossing the English Channel is unrealistic in his case.
“I won’t take one. I have nothing – no money, and no one to ask for it from. I’m not going to try to get into a boat. There’s no point in continuing to talk about it. “I just watch for ‘chemicals’ signs on vehicle doors, that’s all. Otherwise, I try to get into a heavy-goods vehicle any way I can, day or night,” Mohamed said.
Another migrant, 17-year-old Amjad, said that he has tried to cross by truck at least 20 times. "One driver tried to run me over. Another time, I was pulled out of a vehicle and thrown to the ground," he recounted. "I try every day. Of course, we know it’s risky, but what other option do I have? The small boats?”
Gov't: 'Relentless in pursuit of people-smuggling gangs'
A Home Office spokesman said that “[we] are relentless in our pursuit of people-smuggling gangs and stand ready to respond to all methods, including lorries and other clandestine routes.
“That’s why the home secretary has set out the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times, removing incentives which draw people to the UK illegally and making it easier to remove and deport them.
“Our tougher legislation and continued work with our French counterparts will disrupt vile people-smuggling gangs.”
Migration Watch UK, a British migration think-tank, estimated that between 2014 and 2022, approximately 70,000 migrants crossed into the UK from northern France on trucks or containers, out of over 300,000 attempts, highlighting both the scale and persistence of the phenomenon despite enforcement efforts.