According to the inspector, citing Home Office statistics, 28,526 people arrived on the south coast of the country in small boats in 2021, which is a significant increase from 236 in 2018.
"These migrants crossed the [English] Channel in dire circumstances. Many were vulnerable and at risk, including children and women on their own, and when they arrived in Dover the way they were dealt with was unacceptable. This is because the Home Office has failed over the past three years to move from a crisis response to having better systems and procedures in place and treating this as business as usual," Neal said in the report.
The inspector added that equipment used to carry out security checks was often outdated and unreliable, while biometrics, such as taking fingerprints and photographs, were not always recorded.
Over 200 migrants had fled from secure hotels between September 2021 and January 2022, and not all had been biometrically enrolled, the statement added, citing the Home Office.