Officials could not confirm whether all of those to reach the beaches had been detained.
Migrants land on a beach in Kent (Image: SWNS)
Shabana Mahmood has “lost” control of the borders after a second migrant dinghy reached the Kent coast undetected in two days.
The Home Secretary launched an “urgent review” as officials confirmed at least 21 asylum seekers arrived on Samphire Beach on Tuesday.
And at least five migrants were detected at The Warren, a rocky stretch of coast near Folkestone, on Monday. The crossings were the first unauthorised landings in a year, igniting a fresh crisis for Mrs Mahmood.
Officials could not confirm whether all of those to reach the beaches have been detained.
It has sparked fears that Border Force are being overwhelmed by migrant smuggling gangs, who are now dodging law enforcement vessels in the Channel.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Shabana Mahmood has lost control of the UK’s borders, and illegal immigrants are now crossing at will without even being spotted on the water.
“The French are doing nothing to stop this, and the government is housing the illegal immigrants upon arrival. They should instead be immediately deported, which outside the European Convention on Human Rights would be possible.”
A Government spokesperson said: “Border Security Command officers alongside Kent police have been responding to an incident in Dover.
“21 individuals have already been detained under a swift enforcement response. There is a thorough investigation ongoing, and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
And immigration chiefs faced fresh fury after plotting to bring migrants into Gosport, following chaotic scenes in Portsmouth earlier this month.
But officials decided not to bring the migrants ashore there, as hundreds of protesters gathered in the naval town.
It spent a staggering 33 hours at sea before being intercepted south of Portsmouth.
Four French lifeboats and the tugboat Abeille Liberté (Liberty Bee), along with a French Navy search-and-rescue helicopter, were scrambled when the 12m (40ft) migrant dinghy left Port-en-Bessin, north of Bayeux, just before 10am on Monday. And it comes after one of the longest small boat journeys on record.
The French coastguard said the migrants refused help as they were “determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom”.
A statement from the Prefecture maritime de la Manche et de la mer du Nord said: “Between September 21 0900 (French time) and late afternoon on September 22, MRCC Jobourg co-ordinated the monitoring of a small boat carrying approximately 60 people attempting to cross the English Channel towards the United Kingdom.
“The surveillance of this vessel, ill-suited for such a crossing and whose occupants were weakened after more than 33 hours at sea in precarious conditions, is fully part of the Search and Rescue (SAR) mission.
“The deployment of French assets specifically responds to the duty to render assistance stipulated by international and maritime law.
“This operation is also carried out within the known and delicate context of the migrants’ refusal of assistance, as they are determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom.
“The Maritime Prefecture of the English Channel and the North Sea reminds all seafarers and shipmasters of the duty to render assistance under international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), and the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR).
“Failure to comply with these obligations, or any interference with ongoing rescue operations, may be subject to legal proceedings.”